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Twelve Angry Men

by Reginald Rose

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Student Question

In Twelve Angry Men, which juror wants to make a quick decision?

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In "Twelve Angry Men," Juror No. 7 is eager to make a quick decision. He is portrayed as a loud and superficial salesman who is impatient and dismissive, wanting to finish deliberations quickly to attend a Broadway show. Juror No. 7 is quick to form opinions and pressures others to reach a verdict without thorough discussion, reflecting his desire to leave the jury room as soon as possible.

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In Twelve Angry Men, the juror who wishes to hurry the vote is Juror No. 7.

A loud and superficial man, Juror No. 7 is a sarcastic salesman who is quick to form opinions. He is essentially a bully who disguises his cowardliness. No sooner is he inside the jury room than he begins to make quick judgments, saying,

How did you like that business about the knife? Did you ever hear a phonier story?

As the foreman calls the men to order, Juror No. 7 expresses his personal exigency in a flippant tone, saying

This better be fast. I've got tickets to The Seven Year Itch tonight. . . OK, your honor start the show.

When the first vote is called for by the foreman and only Juror No. 8 votes no, Juror 7 immediately questions him, "So what'd you vote not guilty for?" He then becomes somewhat combative with No. 8, who claims he voted in the negative because it is not "so easy" for him to raise his hand and give a boy the death penalty without any discussion. "Who says it's easy for me?" is his retort. When No. 8 calmly responds, "No one," No. 7 responds,

What? just because I voted fast? I think the guy's guilty. You couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.

Juror No. 7 continues to gripe about wasting time discussing a "kid like that" and complaining, "Some of us've got better things to do than sit around a jury room." When a secret vote is taken among the jurors, No. 7 demands to know who else voted "Not guilty."

When No. 5 later asks to change his vote to "not guilty," No. 7 becomes angry, "Oh, brother!" Further, he tells No. 8, "You sit in here and pull stories out of thin air." He criticizes some of No. 8's perceptive observations, later sarcastically asking, "Why don't we have them run the trial over just so you can get everything straight?"

Juror No. 7 is very critical of others. He ridicules No. 11, an immigrant. When No. 11 later accusing No. 7 of just voting as the majority does and not having "the guts to do what you think is right," No. 7 backs down.

It is not long, however, before he does exactly what No. 11 accuses him of. No. 7 complains he is "sick of this whole thing." He then suggests, "Let's break it up and go home. I'm changing my vote to not guilty. I've had enough." Of course, he is challenged on this opinion by No. 11, who asks him "What kind of a man are you?" No. 7 hesitantly says, "I told you. Not. . . guilty." In Act Three, No. 7 sincerely changes his mind to "Not guilty," making the vote unanimous.

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Which juror is eager for a quick decision in Twelve Angry Men?

In Twelve Angry Men, by Reginald Rose, the eighteen-year-old defendant has been charged with "murder in the first degree . . . premeditated homicide" for allegedly killing his father with a knife.

The play opens after all the testimony in the trial has been given, and the Judge is giving instructions to the Jury before they retire to the jury room to deliberate and decide on a verdict.

JUDGE: . . . I urge you to deliberate honestly and thoughtfully. You are faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.

CLERK: The jury will retire.

The Jury files into the jury room. A few light cigarettes, one smokes a pipe, some gather around the water cooler, and others take their seats at the table.

The stage notes tell us the following:

JUROR SEVEN goes to the window and opens it wider.

Symbolically, Juror Seven already wants out of the jury room.

JUROR SEVEN produces a pack of gum and offers a piece to the men by the water cooler

The playwright provided descriptions of all of the characters in the play.

JUROR NO. SEVEN: He is a loud, flashy, glad-handed salesman type who has more important things to do than to sit on a jury. He is quick to show temper and equally quick to form opinions on things about which he knows nothing. He is a bully, and, of course, a coward.

Jurors Seven and Ten are the first jurors to try to discredit the young defendant's story.

JUROR SEVEN [to TEN]. How did you like that business about the knife? Did you ever hear a phonier story? . . . He bought a switch knife that night . . . .

JUROR TEN [with a sneer]. And then he lost it.

JUROR SEVEN. A hole in his pocket.

We soon learn why Juror Seven is impatient to find the defendant guilty and get out of the jury room as soon as possible:

FOREMAN: All right, gentlemen. Let's take seats.

JUROR SEVEN. Right. This better be fast. I've got tickets to [insert name of any current Broadway hit] for tonight. I must be the only guy in the world who hasn't seen it yet . . . . Okay, your honor, start the show.

Just a few minutes later, Juror Seven is the first juror to call for a vote on the verdict:

JUROR SEVEN. Let's vote now. Who knows, maybe we can all go home.

In act 3, over two hours later, Juror Seven is still calling for vote . . .

JUROR SEVEN. Listen, I'll tell you all something. I'm a little sick of this whole thing already. We're getting nowhere fast. Let's break it up and go home.

We never learn if Juror Seven made it to the Broadway show, but we do learn the verdict.

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