Play by Reginald Rose Teaching Activities by Rivka Lewenstein

acts
, all of which take place in the jury room.
drama
= literary work that is written in dialogue to be performed by actors on the 
stage; a play with a serious theme
act
= section of a play (like a chapter in a book)
Because jurors rarely call each other by their names, the author of 
Twelve Angry Men
decided not to waste time choosing twelve names which the audience of the play would 
never hear. Instead, he gave the jurors numbers. This may be confusing to you when 
you first begin reading, but you will soon learn exactly whom each number represents. 
In the meantime, you should find the following descriptions of the jurors (as they were 
given by Reginald Rose, the playwright, in his introduction for readers) helpful:
FOREMAN. 
A small, petty
1
 
man who is impressed with the authority he has and handles 
himself quite formally. Not overly bright, but dogged.
2
JUROR NUMBER TWO.
A meek,
3
hesitant
 
man who finds it difficult to maintain any 
opinions of his own. Easily swayed
4
and usually adopts the opinion of the last person to 
whom he has spoken.
JUROR NUMBER THREE.
A very strong, very forceful, extremely opinionated man 
within whom can be detected a streak of sadism. A humorless man who is intolerant
5
of opinions other than his own and accustomed to forcing his wishes and views upon 
others.
JUROR NUMBER FOUR.
Seems to be a man of wealth and position. A practiced speaker 
who presents himself well at all times. Seems to feel a little bit above the rest of the jurors. 
His only concern is with the facts in this case, and he is appalled
6
at the behavior of the 
others.
1. petty = often exaggerates the importance of small issues
2. dogged = refuses to give up before reaching a goal
3. meek = quiet, humble, does what other people say without asking questions
4. swayed = influenced 
5. intolerant = unwilling to accept anything with which he doesn’t agree 
6. appalled = shocked