Juror Three
Juror Three is close-minded and tries to force his opinions upon others. From the start he is utterly convinced the suspect is guilty. As the story progresses it becomes apparent that he has a poor relationship with his son, which may be fueling his stubbornness. He is quick to anger, especially when interacting with Juror Eight.
Evidence
Close-Minded
Act II, Page 323, Column 2: The second ballot has been taken, and nine admits he is the one who changed his vote to not guilty. When he offers to explain why Three replies, "No, we wouldn't like to know why." His response shows that Three isn't facing this case with an open mind. He does not care about opinions that oppose his own. In his mind, he is always right, and anyone who disagrees with him is wrong.
Act II, Page 326, column 1: Nine just finished his opinion that the old man may have lied in his testimony in order to gain publicity. Three however, won't take a bit of it, even after Nine backs his position with credible detail. He loudly says, "Well, that's the most fantastic story I've ever heard. How can you make up a thing like that? What do you know about it?" Again, Three is showing his close-mindedness by refusing to even consider a fair point that goes against his own opinion. And in this case, he goes even further by trying to make Nine feel stupid. Clearly Three has a narrow mindset.
Utterly Convinced Of Guilt
Whenever Eight brings up the evident flaws in the prosecution case, Three immediately attempts to discount it. However, unlike Eight, his arguments are merely strong opinions without any factual evidence. He refuses to even consider the possibility that the suspect may be innocent. Instead of an "innocent until proven guilty" mindset, Three has a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset. He is utterly convinced of the suspect's guilt from the start of the case. The following are examples of Three's persistent (but failed) attempts to discount Eight's logic:
Act I, Page 319, Column 2: Eight just pulled out a switch-knife identical to the murder weapon, trying to prove that it isn't as unique as the prosecution led on.
Eight: "I got it last night in a little junk shop around the corner from the boy's house. It cost two dollars."
Three: "Now you listen to me! You pulled a real smart trick here, but you proved absolutely zero. Maybe there are ten knives like that, so what?...The boy lied and you know it."
Act II, Page 325, Column 2: Eight went over the testimony and proved that when the old man claimed he heard the suspect say, "I'm going to kill him," the el train would have already begun to pass by. El trains are very loud, thus it is impossible the old man could have heard anything over the noise.
Three: "What d'ya mean! Sure he could have heard it."
Eight: "Could he?"
Three: "He said the boy yelled it out. That's enough for me."
Act II, Page 326, Column 2
Eight: "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? This phrase: how many times has each of you used it? Probably hundreds...We say it every day. This doesn't mean that we're going to kill someone."
Three: "Wait a minute. The phrase was 'I'm going to kill you,' and the kid screamed it at the top of his lungs. Don't try and tell me he didn't mean it. Anybody says a thing like that the way he said it--they mean it."
Ironic side-note: At the end of this scene, Three attempts to lunge at Eight to cause physical harm. When he is restrained by two other Jurors, he screams, "Let me go! I'll kill him. I'll kill him!"
Poor Relationship With Son
Act I, Page 317, Column 2: The Jurors are discussing the suspect's criminal background and history of abuse from his father. Seven mentions he would have beaten a kid like that. Three replies with "You're right. It's the kids. The way they are--you know? They don't listen. I've got a kid. When he was eight years old he ran away from a fight. I saw him. I was so ashamed, I told him right out, 'I'm gonna make a man out of you or I'm gonna bust you up into little pieces trying.' When he was fifteen he hit me in the face. He's big, you know. I haven't seen him in three years. Rotten kid! You work your heart out..." This quote delivers a possible explanation for why Three is so stubborn about this case. He is connecting negative memories of his son to the young suspect. He obviously carries emotional baggage regarding his son--if he hasn't seen him in three years, they must have a poor relationship. Perharps Three feels he failed his authoritative duty. If so, this case is presenting the perfect opportunity for him to subconsciously reinstate his power by putting the suspect to death.
Act II, Page 330, Column 2: Eight has finally begun to see the emotional ties Three has with this case. He strongly says to Three, "You want to see this boy die because you personally want it--not because of the facts." In return, Three shouts "shut up!" and attempts to tackle Eight. Notice that Three never denied Eight's comment. He only became more angry--most likely because Eight had accessed a personal point in his armor. Combined with his statement in the previous example, this scene indicates Three's poor relationship with his son.
Stubborn
Act II, Page 330, Column 1: Eight just finished a convincing simulation that clearly discounted the old man's testimony regarding the amount of seconds it took for him to reach the front door of his apartment and see the suspect running away from the crime scene. However, after this and all other points made, Three remains unwavering in his opinion of guilty. His stubbornness is conveyed through his comment to Eight: "You come in here with your heart bleeding all over the floor about slum kids and injustice and you make up these wild stories and you've got some soft-hearted old ladies listening to you. Well I'm not. I'm getting real sick of it. What's the matter with you people? This kid is guilty! He's got to burn! We're letting him slip through our fingers here."
Act III, Page 339, Column 2: All Jurors are voting not guilty except for Three. When they ask for his reasons for not having reasonable doubt, he does not provide any evidence. Instead, he shouts "Well you're not going to intimidate me! I'm entitled to my opinion! It's gonna be a hung jury! That's it!" So even though everyone has changed their vote after listening to the flaws in the testimonies, Three refuses to budge. He probably does have reasonable doubt, but he is just too proud and stubborn to admit it.
Angry
Act I, Page 319, Column 1: Eight is suggesting it's possible that the suspect dropped his knife in the street and that someone else could have used it to murder the victim. The stage directions then state that Three shouts "And I'm saying it's not possible." The fact that Three is shouting in this scene clearly signifies his hot temper. What's more, his line was an outburst, for he hadn't spoken for a while. This shows his quickness to anger.
Act II, Page 323, Column 1: When the Jurors (except Eight) vote a second time, all vote guilty except one. This means the discussion will continue. The vote was a secret ballot, so it is a mystery who voted not guilty. Seven asks who it is, but Eleven replies that it was a secret ballot and whoever voted not guilty has the right to remain secret. According to the stage directions, Three stands up angrily before yelling, "What do you mean? There are no secrets in here! I know who it was. [He turns to Five.] What's the matter with you? You come in here and you vote guilty and then this slick preacher starts to tear your heart out with stories about a poor little kid who just couldn't help becoming a murderer. So you change your vote. If that isn't the most sickening--" This outburst shows how easily he loses his temper, especially since the men have not been discussing the trial for a long period of time. It's almost as if he can't control his anger--he immediately attacked Five, a man he just met a few hours ago!
Act II, Page 330, Column 2: Eight and Three are finally at the breaking point. Eight calls Three a sadist. According to the stage directions, Three shouts "shut up!" and lunges at Eight. He is caught by two Jurors who stop his struggling. Three's attempt at physical harm clearly shows his anger.
Act III, Page 340-341: At this point, all Jurors except Three have changed their vote to not guilty. In order for the suspect to be acquitted, Three must also change his vote so the Jury is unanimous. When Eight calmly says, "We're waiting," Three turns violently on him, shouting "Well you're not going to intimidate me! I'm entitled to my opinion! It's gonna be a hung jury! That's it!" After two comments from Five and Nine, the stage directions state that Three looks around at all of them for a long time. They sit silently, waiting for him to speak, and all of them despise him for his stubbornness. Then, suddenly, his face contorts as if he is about to cry, and he slams his fist down on the table. After this, he thunders, "All right!" His "fist-slamming" and "thundering" clearly indicates his great anger. This part of the play especially reveals Three's hot temper because he was set off by Eight, who has spoken calmly the entire time.
Act II, Page 323, Column 2: The second ballot has been taken, and nine admits he is the one who changed his vote to not guilty. When he offers to explain why Three replies, "No, we wouldn't like to know why." His response shows that Three isn't facing this case with an open mind. He does not care about opinions that oppose his own. In his mind, he is always right, and anyone who disagrees with him is wrong.
Act II, Page 326, column 1: Nine just finished his opinion that the old man may have lied in his testimony in order to gain publicity. Three however, won't take a bit of it, even after Nine backs his position with credible detail. He loudly says, "Well, that's the most fantastic story I've ever heard. How can you make up a thing like that? What do you know about it?" Again, Three is showing his close-mindedness by refusing to even consider a fair point that goes against his own opinion. And in this case, he goes even further by trying to make Nine feel stupid. Clearly Three has a narrow mindset.
Utterly Convinced Of Guilt
Whenever Eight brings up the evident flaws in the prosecution case, Three immediately attempts to discount it. However, unlike Eight, his arguments are merely strong opinions without any factual evidence. He refuses to even consider the possibility that the suspect may be innocent. Instead of an "innocent until proven guilty" mindset, Three has a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset. He is utterly convinced of the suspect's guilt from the start of the case. The following are examples of Three's persistent (but failed) attempts to discount Eight's logic:
Act I, Page 319, Column 2: Eight just pulled out a switch-knife identical to the murder weapon, trying to prove that it isn't as unique as the prosecution led on.
Eight: "I got it last night in a little junk shop around the corner from the boy's house. It cost two dollars."
Three: "Now you listen to me! You pulled a real smart trick here, but you proved absolutely zero. Maybe there are ten knives like that, so what?...The boy lied and you know it."
Act II, Page 325, Column 2: Eight went over the testimony and proved that when the old man claimed he heard the suspect say, "I'm going to kill him," the el train would have already begun to pass by. El trains are very loud, thus it is impossible the old man could have heard anything over the noise.
Three: "What d'ya mean! Sure he could have heard it."
Eight: "Could he?"
Three: "He said the boy yelled it out. That's enough for me."
Act II, Page 326, Column 2
Eight: "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? This phrase: how many times has each of you used it? Probably hundreds...We say it every day. This doesn't mean that we're going to kill someone."
Three: "Wait a minute. The phrase was 'I'm going to kill you,' and the kid screamed it at the top of his lungs. Don't try and tell me he didn't mean it. Anybody says a thing like that the way he said it--they mean it."
Ironic side-note: At the end of this scene, Three attempts to lunge at Eight to cause physical harm. When he is restrained by two other Jurors, he screams, "Let me go! I'll kill him. I'll kill him!"
Poor Relationship With Son
Act I, Page 317, Column 2: The Jurors are discussing the suspect's criminal background and history of abuse from his father. Seven mentions he would have beaten a kid like that. Three replies with "You're right. It's the kids. The way they are--you know? They don't listen. I've got a kid. When he was eight years old he ran away from a fight. I saw him. I was so ashamed, I told him right out, 'I'm gonna make a man out of you or I'm gonna bust you up into little pieces trying.' When he was fifteen he hit me in the face. He's big, you know. I haven't seen him in three years. Rotten kid! You work your heart out..." This quote delivers a possible explanation for why Three is so stubborn about this case. He is connecting negative memories of his son to the young suspect. He obviously carries emotional baggage regarding his son--if he hasn't seen him in three years, they must have a poor relationship. Perharps Three feels he failed his authoritative duty. If so, this case is presenting the perfect opportunity for him to subconsciously reinstate his power by putting the suspect to death.
Act II, Page 330, Column 2: Eight has finally begun to see the emotional ties Three has with this case. He strongly says to Three, "You want to see this boy die because you personally want it--not because of the facts." In return, Three shouts "shut up!" and attempts to tackle Eight. Notice that Three never denied Eight's comment. He only became more angry--most likely because Eight had accessed a personal point in his armor. Combined with his statement in the previous example, this scene indicates Three's poor relationship with his son.
Stubborn
Act II, Page 330, Column 1: Eight just finished a convincing simulation that clearly discounted the old man's testimony regarding the amount of seconds it took for him to reach the front door of his apartment and see the suspect running away from the crime scene. However, after this and all other points made, Three remains unwavering in his opinion of guilty. His stubbornness is conveyed through his comment to Eight: "You come in here with your heart bleeding all over the floor about slum kids and injustice and you make up these wild stories and you've got some soft-hearted old ladies listening to you. Well I'm not. I'm getting real sick of it. What's the matter with you people? This kid is guilty! He's got to burn! We're letting him slip through our fingers here."
Act III, Page 339, Column 2: All Jurors are voting not guilty except for Three. When they ask for his reasons for not having reasonable doubt, he does not provide any evidence. Instead, he shouts "Well you're not going to intimidate me! I'm entitled to my opinion! It's gonna be a hung jury! That's it!" So even though everyone has changed their vote after listening to the flaws in the testimonies, Three refuses to budge. He probably does have reasonable doubt, but he is just too proud and stubborn to admit it.
Angry
Act I, Page 319, Column 1: Eight is suggesting it's possible that the suspect dropped his knife in the street and that someone else could have used it to murder the victim. The stage directions then state that Three shouts "And I'm saying it's not possible." The fact that Three is shouting in this scene clearly signifies his hot temper. What's more, his line was an outburst, for he hadn't spoken for a while. This shows his quickness to anger.
Act II, Page 323, Column 1: When the Jurors (except Eight) vote a second time, all vote guilty except one. This means the discussion will continue. The vote was a secret ballot, so it is a mystery who voted not guilty. Seven asks who it is, but Eleven replies that it was a secret ballot and whoever voted not guilty has the right to remain secret. According to the stage directions, Three stands up angrily before yelling, "What do you mean? There are no secrets in here! I know who it was. [He turns to Five.] What's the matter with you? You come in here and you vote guilty and then this slick preacher starts to tear your heart out with stories about a poor little kid who just couldn't help becoming a murderer. So you change your vote. If that isn't the most sickening--" This outburst shows how easily he loses his temper, especially since the men have not been discussing the trial for a long period of time. It's almost as if he can't control his anger--he immediately attacked Five, a man he just met a few hours ago!
Act II, Page 330, Column 2: Eight and Three are finally at the breaking point. Eight calls Three a sadist. According to the stage directions, Three shouts "shut up!" and lunges at Eight. He is caught by two Jurors who stop his struggling. Three's attempt at physical harm clearly shows his anger.
Act III, Page 340-341: At this point, all Jurors except Three have changed their vote to not guilty. In order for the suspect to be acquitted, Three must also change his vote so the Jury is unanimous. When Eight calmly says, "We're waiting," Three turns violently on him, shouting "Well you're not going to intimidate me! I'm entitled to my opinion! It's gonna be a hung jury! That's it!" After two comments from Five and Nine, the stage directions state that Three looks around at all of them for a long time. They sit silently, waiting for him to speak, and all of them despise him for his stubbornness. Then, suddenly, his face contorts as if he is about to cry, and he slams his fist down on the table. After this, he thunders, "All right!" His "fist-slamming" and "thundering" clearly indicates his great anger. This part of the play especially reveals Three's hot temper because he was set off by Eight, who has spoken calmly the entire time.