Appearance vs. Reality in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus
In the world of the 18th century, appearance was everything; and
appearance often conflicted with reality. Such is the case in Peter
Shaffer’s, Amadeus, which follows Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s musical
career. Mozart’s career was enveloped in deceit and falsity, appearing to
be brought on by poor choices he made, when all along he was being
sabotaged by Salieri.
When Mozart arrives in Vienna, Antonio Salieri pretends to
welcome him. He even writes a welcome March for Mozart, to be played
as the young, rebellious musician enters the court. However, Salieri
hates Mozart from the beginning. Salieri is nice to Mozart’s face, and
pretends to support his career to all other parties concerned.
Salieri is, in fact, nice to everyone’s face. As several officials are
conversing, Salieri comments to the audience on their personality.
“Johann von Strack. Royal Chamberlain. A court official to his collar
bone,” “Baron van Swieten. Prefect of the Imperial Library. Ardent
Freemason. Yet to find anything funny...” (Amadeus, 11) Salieri
continues to interject throughout the mens’ conversation until he is
included.
Salieri is jealous of Mozart’s musical ability. While it appears to
everyone the Salieri is the most talented musician in Vienna, he, himself,
knows that Mozart’s music is much deeper than his own. Salieri vents
his jealousy when he states, “We were both ordinary men, he and I. Yet
he from the ordinary created legends-and I from legends greeted only the
ordinary” (Amadeus, 63).
Mozart and his wife, Constanza, are starving. They are living in
extreme poverty. All of this is because of Antonio Salieri. whose plan is
revealed to the audience in his conversation with Emperor Joseph. He
says, “Then grant him Gluck’s post, Majesty, but not his salary. That
would be wrong” (Amadeus, 64). He then turns around to Mozart who is
angry about the payment he is receiving and says, “I’m sorry it’s made
you angry. I’d not have suggested it if I’d known you’d be distressed....I
regret I was not able to do more” (Amadeus, 65). Salieri pretends that he
got Mozart as much money as he could, when in reality, he kept him
from a great deal more.
The real showing of Salieri’s true colors comes out in the last few
scenes of the play. After the death of Mozart’s father...
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.... “Hate is a poison you cannot withstand.” (Amadeus, 81).
Salieri got his wish for fame in the end. He reflects on this, “I was
to become quite simply the most famous musician in Europe!...This was
my sentence! I must endure thirty years of being called “distinguished”
by people incapable of distinguishing!...I must smell as I wrote it the
deadness of my music...” (Amadeus, 85). While he had what he had
always wanted, and he appeared to be on top of the world, reality
remained. He was not happy. He did not have to gift he had long
wanted. And though the public praised and shouted to him, he knew
exactly what it was worth.
While Mozart’s life appears to be a series of mistakes, and poor
choices he has made, the truth is, he was sabotaged. His life was a
game for Antonio Salieri to act out his jealousies and insecurities. But
Salieri, in the end, is more unhappy with his life without Mozart, than he
was when Mozart was alive.
Works Cited
Amadeus. Shaffer, Peter. Samuel French, Inc. New York. 1980.
http://www.albemarle-london.com/amadeus.html. Accessed, March 15, 2001
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc69.html. Accessed, March 17, 2001
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