Juror Eight
Juror Eight is the protagonist of the play. He is courageous, compassionate, calm, and respects the opinions of others. He is the only Juror who does not change his position on the case. He is passionate about justice and eventually convinces all the other Jurors to side with him on a not guilty verdict. Another defining characteristic is his cleverness.
Evidence
Compassionate
Act I, Page 315, Column 1: Eight states his reasoning for voting not guilty. “I don’t want to change your mind. I just want to talk for a while. Look this boy’s been kicked around all his life. You know, living in a slum, his mother dead since he was nine. That’s not a very good head start. He’s a tough, angry kid. You know why slum kids get that way? Because we knock ‘em on the head once a day, every day. I think maybe we owe him a few words. That’s all.” Here, Eight is taking into consideration the suspect’s personal life. He’s seeing him as a human being that’s had it rough. In Eight’s mind, the suspect is just a suspect—innocent until proven guilty. Before sentencing the boy to death, he wants a discussion. All these things show Eight’s compassion.
Act I, Page 317, Column 2: Seven is describing the suspect’s criminal record. When he’s finished, Eight adds, “Ever since he was five years old his father beat him up regularly. He used his fists.” Once again, Eight is considering things the others would rather overlook. He’s not desensitizing himself by seeing the suspect as an object or a monster. Instead, Eight sees him as a human and wants to take into account his past. This shows his compassion.
Calm
Act II, Page 328, Column 1: Eight wants to show the other Jurors the diagram of the crime scene in order to suggest that the old man’s testimony was flawed. Seven says, “Do me a favor. Wake me up when this is over.” According to the stage directions, Eight simply ignores him and continues. This shows his calmness because he didn’t even bother to snap back at Seven. He just continued his theory with a clear head.
Act I, Page 330: Three is getting extremely agitated with Eight. The stage directions state that when he speaks, he is raging, shouting, screaming, or even lunging at Eight. Meanwhile, Eight responds to each comment with the same tone he has used the entire play. One stage direction even says he is speaking calmly. This is when he says, “Our fingers. Are you his executioner?”
Respectful
Act I, Page 318, Columns 1-2: Three suggests they discuss the “cute little switch-knife.” Eight replies, “All right. Let’s talk about it. Let’s get it in here and look at it. I’d like to see it again, Mr. Foreman.” Even though Three is being immature about the discussion, Eight respects his opinion and agrees to discuss the knife if that’s what he desires.
Act I, Page 320, Column 1: Seven says to Eight, “Now wait a second. What are you, the guy’s lawyer? Listen there are still eleven of us who think he’s guilty. You’re alone. What do you think you’re gonna accomplish? If you want to be stubborn and hang this jury, he’ll be tried again and found guilty, sure as he’s born.” Eight replies, “You’re probably right.” While Seven is trying to force his opinions upon Eight, Eight is merely listening respectfully and calmly stating his own. He respects Seven’s comment, even though it was spiced with annoyed accusation. Eight answered truthfully and did not return Seven’s attitude.
Wants Justice
Act I, Page 320, Column 2: To the rest of the Jury, Eight says, “I’ve got a proposition to make…I want to call for a vote. I want you eleven men to vote by secret ballot. I’ll abstain. If there are still eleven votes for guilty, I won’t stand alone. We’ll take in a guilty verdict right now.” His proposition shows how badly he wants the suspect to get a fair trial. He figures that if all eleven vote guilty again, then it is reasonable justice because they discussed the case at least a little bit. However, he does not believe that will happen. Eight can see that some Jurors are easily intimidated and a secret ballot would allow those Jurors to vote freely. This practice will ensure justice because it will get the true opinions of each Juror.
Act II, Page 329, Column 1: Eight goes to the trouble of re-enacting the old man’s steps in fifteen seconds--the amount of time testified. He grabs two chairs and positions them to make the bed. He uses another chair to represent the bedroom door. Then he asks the rest of the Jury to estimate how far one end of the room is from another. After the props are set up, he carefully acts as the old man to see if the distance can be traveled in fifteen seconds. So instead of just forcing his opinion on others, he proved it through actions. This shows he is passionate about the case and wants justice.
Clever
Eight is able to identify important flaws in the prosecution case. He listens to the discussion carefully, which gives him clues to the flaws. His attention to detail and ability to think logically strongly reflect his cleverness. The following are comments made by Eight that identify suspicious aspects of various testimony.
Act II, Page 325, Column 2: “An el takes ten seconds to pass a given point or two seconds per car. The el had been going by the old man’s window for at least six seconds, and maybe more, before the body fell, according to the woman. The old man would have had to hear the boy say, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ while the front of the el was roaring past his nose. It’s not possible that he could have heard it.”
Act II, Page 326, Column 2: “Now. There’s something else I’d like to point out here. I think we proved that the old man couldn’t have heard the boy say, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ but supposing he really did hear it? The phrase: how many times has each of you heard it? Probably hundreds. ‘If you do that once more, Junior, I’m going to murder you.’ ‘Come on, Rocky, kill him!’ We say it every day. This doesn’t mean that we’re going to kill someone.
Act II, Pages 327-328: “…We’re going to find out how a man who’s had two strokes in the past three years, and who walks with a pair of canes, could get to his front door in fifteen seconds…His bed was at the window. It’s twelve feet from his bed to the bedroom door. The length of the hall is forty-three feet, six inches. He had to get up out of bed, get his canes, walk twelve feet, open the bedroom door, walk forty-three feet, and open the front door—all in fifteen seconds. Do you think this possible?”
Act III, Page 339, Column 1: “Listen, she wasn’t wearing them (spectacles) in bed. That’s for sure. She testified that in the midst of her tossing and turning she rolled over and looked casually out the window. The murder was taking place a she looked out, and the lights went out a split second later. She couldn’t have had time to put on her glasses. Now maybe she honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father. I say that she saw only a blur.”
Eight also shows his cleverness through small come-back comments. They contain small details he was able to remember and incorporate back into the argument. They’re quite good!
Act I, Page 317, Column 2.
Ten: “Okay. And they proved in court that you can look through the windows of a passing el train at night and see what’s happening on the other side. They proved it.”
Eight: “I’d like to ask you something. How come you believed her (woman across street)? She’s one of ‘them’ too, isn’t she?”
Act II, Page 329, Column 1: Eight is doubtful the old man could have traveled his claimed distance in just fifteen seconds. Three and Ten however, whole-heartedly believe it. Eight wants to do a simulation, but Three says it’s a waste of time. Later Eight says, “Do you mind if I try it? According to you, it’ll only take fifteen seconds. We can Spare that…”
Act II, Page 330 Column 2: Eight and Three recently argued whether saying “I’m going to kill you,” always means a person is going to carry out the act. Eight thinks not, however Three believes it does. A while later, when Three lunges at Three out of anger, he says, “Let me go! I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him!” Eight smartly replies, “You don’t really mean you’ll kill me, do you?”
Act I, Page 315, Column 1: Eight states his reasoning for voting not guilty. “I don’t want to change your mind. I just want to talk for a while. Look this boy’s been kicked around all his life. You know, living in a slum, his mother dead since he was nine. That’s not a very good head start. He’s a tough, angry kid. You know why slum kids get that way? Because we knock ‘em on the head once a day, every day. I think maybe we owe him a few words. That’s all.” Here, Eight is taking into consideration the suspect’s personal life. He’s seeing him as a human being that’s had it rough. In Eight’s mind, the suspect is just a suspect—innocent until proven guilty. Before sentencing the boy to death, he wants a discussion. All these things show Eight’s compassion.
Act I, Page 317, Column 2: Seven is describing the suspect’s criminal record. When he’s finished, Eight adds, “Ever since he was five years old his father beat him up regularly. He used his fists.” Once again, Eight is considering things the others would rather overlook. He’s not desensitizing himself by seeing the suspect as an object or a monster. Instead, Eight sees him as a human and wants to take into account his past. This shows his compassion.
Calm
Act II, Page 328, Column 1: Eight wants to show the other Jurors the diagram of the crime scene in order to suggest that the old man’s testimony was flawed. Seven says, “Do me a favor. Wake me up when this is over.” According to the stage directions, Eight simply ignores him and continues. This shows his calmness because he didn’t even bother to snap back at Seven. He just continued his theory with a clear head.
Act I, Page 330: Three is getting extremely agitated with Eight. The stage directions state that when he speaks, he is raging, shouting, screaming, or even lunging at Eight. Meanwhile, Eight responds to each comment with the same tone he has used the entire play. One stage direction even says he is speaking calmly. This is when he says, “Our fingers. Are you his executioner?”
Respectful
Act I, Page 318, Columns 1-2: Three suggests they discuss the “cute little switch-knife.” Eight replies, “All right. Let’s talk about it. Let’s get it in here and look at it. I’d like to see it again, Mr. Foreman.” Even though Three is being immature about the discussion, Eight respects his opinion and agrees to discuss the knife if that’s what he desires.
Act I, Page 320, Column 1: Seven says to Eight, “Now wait a second. What are you, the guy’s lawyer? Listen there are still eleven of us who think he’s guilty. You’re alone. What do you think you’re gonna accomplish? If you want to be stubborn and hang this jury, he’ll be tried again and found guilty, sure as he’s born.” Eight replies, “You’re probably right.” While Seven is trying to force his opinions upon Eight, Eight is merely listening respectfully and calmly stating his own. He respects Seven’s comment, even though it was spiced with annoyed accusation. Eight answered truthfully and did not return Seven’s attitude.
Wants Justice
Act I, Page 320, Column 2: To the rest of the Jury, Eight says, “I’ve got a proposition to make…I want to call for a vote. I want you eleven men to vote by secret ballot. I’ll abstain. If there are still eleven votes for guilty, I won’t stand alone. We’ll take in a guilty verdict right now.” His proposition shows how badly he wants the suspect to get a fair trial. He figures that if all eleven vote guilty again, then it is reasonable justice because they discussed the case at least a little bit. However, he does not believe that will happen. Eight can see that some Jurors are easily intimidated and a secret ballot would allow those Jurors to vote freely. This practice will ensure justice because it will get the true opinions of each Juror.
Act II, Page 329, Column 1: Eight goes to the trouble of re-enacting the old man’s steps in fifteen seconds--the amount of time testified. He grabs two chairs and positions them to make the bed. He uses another chair to represent the bedroom door. Then he asks the rest of the Jury to estimate how far one end of the room is from another. After the props are set up, he carefully acts as the old man to see if the distance can be traveled in fifteen seconds. So instead of just forcing his opinion on others, he proved it through actions. This shows he is passionate about the case and wants justice.
Clever
Eight is able to identify important flaws in the prosecution case. He listens to the discussion carefully, which gives him clues to the flaws. His attention to detail and ability to think logically strongly reflect his cleverness. The following are comments made by Eight that identify suspicious aspects of various testimony.
Act II, Page 325, Column 2: “An el takes ten seconds to pass a given point or two seconds per car. The el had been going by the old man’s window for at least six seconds, and maybe more, before the body fell, according to the woman. The old man would have had to hear the boy say, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ while the front of the el was roaring past his nose. It’s not possible that he could have heard it.”
Act II, Page 326, Column 2: “Now. There’s something else I’d like to point out here. I think we proved that the old man couldn’t have heard the boy say, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ but supposing he really did hear it? The phrase: how many times has each of you heard it? Probably hundreds. ‘If you do that once more, Junior, I’m going to murder you.’ ‘Come on, Rocky, kill him!’ We say it every day. This doesn’t mean that we’re going to kill someone.
Act II, Pages 327-328: “…We’re going to find out how a man who’s had two strokes in the past three years, and who walks with a pair of canes, could get to his front door in fifteen seconds…His bed was at the window. It’s twelve feet from his bed to the bedroom door. The length of the hall is forty-three feet, six inches. He had to get up out of bed, get his canes, walk twelve feet, open the bedroom door, walk forty-three feet, and open the front door—all in fifteen seconds. Do you think this possible?”
Act III, Page 339, Column 1: “Listen, she wasn’t wearing them (spectacles) in bed. That’s for sure. She testified that in the midst of her tossing and turning she rolled over and looked casually out the window. The murder was taking place a she looked out, and the lights went out a split second later. She couldn’t have had time to put on her glasses. Now maybe she honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father. I say that she saw only a blur.”
Eight also shows his cleverness through small come-back comments. They contain small details he was able to remember and incorporate back into the argument. They’re quite good!
Act I, Page 317, Column 2.
Ten: “Okay. And they proved in court that you can look through the windows of a passing el train at night and see what’s happening on the other side. They proved it.”
Eight: “I’d like to ask you something. How come you believed her (woman across street)? She’s one of ‘them’ too, isn’t she?”
Act II, Page 329, Column 1: Eight is doubtful the old man could have traveled his claimed distance in just fifteen seconds. Three and Ten however, whole-heartedly believe it. Eight wants to do a simulation, but Three says it’s a waste of time. Later Eight says, “Do you mind if I try it? According to you, it’ll only take fifteen seconds. We can Spare that…”
Act II, Page 330 Column 2: Eight and Three recently argued whether saying “I’m going to kill you,” always means a person is going to carry out the act. Eight thinks not, however Three believes it does. A while later, when Three lunges at Three out of anger, he says, “Let me go! I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him!” Eight smartly replies, “You don’t really mean you’ll kill me, do you?”