A landmark American drama that inspired a classic film and a Broadway revival-featuring an
introduction by David Mamet A blistering character study and an examination of the American
melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check Twelve Angry Men holds at its core
a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight who is at
first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other
jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not
affected by their personal prejudices or biases. Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels
away the layers of artifice from the men and allows a fuller picture to form of them-and of
America at its best and worst. After the critically acclaimed teleplay aired in 1954 this
landmark American drama went on to become a cinematic masterpiece in 1957 starring Henry Fonda
for which Rose wrote the adaptation. More recently Twelve Angry Men had a successful and
award-winning run on Broadway. For more than seventy years Penguin has been the leading
publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1 700 titles
Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across
genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by
introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
