Twelve Angry Men

The 8th Juror is the moral center of Twelve Angry Men. He is an architect, a profession that reflects his carefully measured, rational personality. His profession also suggests his constructive approach to problems: Just as architects seek to build new edifices through balance and proportion, so too does the 8th Juror seek to bring balance and proportion to the jury’s deliberations. He is the only juror to vote “not guilty” at the start of the play, arguing that he cannot vote for the accused’s death “without talking about it first” (Act I, 22). The 8th Juror’s lone, principled stand against the unanimous “guilty” verdict of the 11 other jurors sets the play’s plot in motion, while also providing the moral compass for the play’s action.

The 8th Juror is defined by his unwavering commitment to the legal principle of “reasonable doubt.” At every juncture of the deliberations, the 8th Juror seeks to present counterarguments and alternative viewpoints that introduce more ambiguity into the interpretation of the trial’s evidence. The 8th Juror’s commitment to doubt and open-minded inquiry contrasts strongly with the narrow-minded prejudice of some of the other jurors. It is important to note that the 8th Juror never claims to be entirely convinced of the accused’s innocence: Rather, he wishes to ensure that the jury does not condemn the accused because of prejudice rather than convincing evidence.