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What Are the Hidden Agendas in 12 Angry Men?

"12 Angry Men" is a teleplay written by film and television writer Reginald Rose, who adapted the story for the stage in 1955, and a feature-length film starring Henry Fonda in 1957. The story deals with the murder trial of a young man, and all but the first minute of action takes place inside a jury deliberation room. In the beginning, all but one of the jurors think the accused is guilty; by the end, they unanimously declare him not guilty. Over the course of deliberations, several hidden agendas on the part of several jurors become apparent.
  1. Juror No. 3

    • From the first vote taken, in which the jurors vote 11-1 in favor of a guilty verdict, Juror No. 3 displays a great deal of enthusiasm for sentencing the accused to death. He also becomes angry easily, and at times the other jurors are concerned that he will become violent, as in the scene in which Juror No. 8 produces a switchblade identical to the one used in the murder. At the end, it's revealed that Juror No. 3 has a strained relationship with his son, although details of their conflict are never brought to light. It is clear that this tension between him and his son has kept him from voting objectively.

    Juror No. 7

    • Of the characters in "12 Angry Men" who harbor hidden agendas, Juror No. 7 is probably the most benign case. A wisecracking and often rude salesman, Juror No. 7 is impatient throughout deliberations and seems wholly unconcerned that a young man's life hangs in the balance. It becomes clear about halfway through the film that this juror has tickets to a baseball game later in the evening, and he wants to finish deliberating as quickly as possible so he can make it to the game. Although his hidden agenda is not explicitly for or against the accused, he nevertheless harbors ulterior motives that prevent him from considering the case objectively.

    Juror No. 10

    • This character, along with Juror No. 5, represents pointed social commentary made through the teleplay and film. An older man who owns a garage, Juror No. 10 seems to side with Juror No. 3 in the debates surrounding the boy's innocence. He too becomes angry at times, and toward the end he makes one of the best-known speeches of the story. He exposes himself as a racist and bigot, claiming that "they can't be trusted" (meaning people like the accused, namely minorities). When revealed in this way, his hidden agenda shocks and appalls the other jurors, who literally turn their backs on him in the 1957 film.

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