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Twelve Angry Men Notes

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Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose

Structure, Language and Genre

Structure
• Twelve Angry Men follows a two-act structure, with the action running continuously rather than being broken into scenes. The second acts takes up exactly where the first left off – there is no change in chronology.
• With no scene divisions, the progress of the play can be measured by the votes which take place, functioning as a kind of pulse, reminding the audience where the jury’s opinion stands on the defendant’s conviction. These moments serve as markers for the audience on the journey through the play, helping to structure the action.
• The play follows the three classical unities of theatre derived from Aristotle:
- Unity of action: there should be only one central plot (the jury’s deliberations and decisions).
- Unity of time: In real and continuous time where there are no shifts in chronology (no breaks in play).
- Unity of place: Action occurs in only one single location (the jury room).
• Allows the audience to feel very close to characters, their relationships and the conflict and challenges with which they are faced in deciding the defendant’s fate.
• Intensifies sense of realism and is particularly effective because of the claustrophobic nature of the setting.

Language
• Rose’s characters use naturalistic, everyday language appropriate to the times and for the audience.
• Heightened poetic or symbolic language is rarely used, instead speaking in concrete terms about the details at hand.
• They are generally differentiated by the content of their speech rather than style. For example, 8th sometimes pauses while he speaks, demonstrating his calm, reasoned nature as well as the fact that he is uncertain about the case. Conversely, 3rd’s speeches are often punctuated with exclamation marks and he frequently interrupts other characters, demonstrating his

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