As the play begins the judge is charging the twelve jurors what are his specific instructions

At the onset of the play, we learn from the Judge's offstage opening instructions the given circumstances of the play, that a man has been accused of murder and his fate is to be determined by these jurors. Immediately, we are launched into a world where the ultimate objective is to complete the "grave responsibility" of determining a man's innocence and guilt, the heart of the American justice system.

“... it now becomes your duty to try to separate the facts from the fancy”.