Greed and Jealousy versus Love and Justice The human condition is not in any way, shape or form perfect. In fact, man is prone to both greed and Jealousy. But when man is overwhelmed by these, he is blind to the beauty of the divine love and Justice received by all. This point is emphasized In Peter Shaffer Amadeus. Antonio Saltier prays as an adolescent for just one thing: fame. HIS quest for fame becomes the central goal In his life. However, his Insatiable greed for musical fame leads to Jealousy of his colleague, Amadeus Mozart.
This pattern of moral destruction continues as Saltier turns against his god, lamming that God had become his enemy when He picked Mozart over him. Saltier is the proof that when greed and jealousy become the main influences on a man’s life, he is no longer able to see the beauty in divine love and Justice. This drama is one of character. There are really only two dynamic characters in the whole novel. First, Saltier, the protagonist. Sealers wanted fame from a young age. At 16, he prayed to God that he would be virtuous and evangelical If only God would grant him fame (Shaffer 8).
At first it appears that his prayer has been answered: he goes to study music in Vienna, and eventually becomes court composer for Emperor Joseph II. Mozart arrival in Vienna and his extreme talent turns Saltier a lovely shade of green. He becomes obsessively jealous of Mozart, leading to a volatile and harassed state. Saltier makes It his life’s goal to destroy Mozart – If not to kill his body, to kill his social status and reputation. This to spite the god that was merciless, who supplied so little in terms of blessings.
Caller’s determination to spite God through the thorough destruction of Mozart career and eventually mental health is what dads to his ultimate demise: a suicide attempt, and the proclamation that he is the “[p]tarot [s]mint of [m]discretion” (Shaffer 95). Amadeus Mozart, the plays title character, is ironically the antagonist of the story. This conjures Ideas that Mozart was purposefully evil, that he strives to cause harm to Sealers. But Mozart never actually did anything to make Sealers his enemy.
Mozart extraordinary musical ablest Is what causes sealers to hate Mozart. It Is the Idea that God granted him, “the Creature”, with these capabilities, and left Saltier to mediocrity. Some would argue that Mozart is a Christ figure. This is indicated by his name, which means “love of God” and it has been discussed that his glorious music is “God’s love for human beings made manifest” (Fulbright, CTD. In Robbins “Mozart”). In this way, he Is a fool to Saltier. Where Mozart has been blessed, Saltier feels cursed.
It is what they both do with their situations that makes them so different. Sealers chooses to make God his enemy, and vows to destroy Mozart, while Mozart just continues with his life, amplifying the ridiculous tantrum Saltier throws against God. The wrath of Saltier was never incurred by Mozart himself, ironically, it was God’s grace on Mozart hat stirred the vengeful feelings inside Saltier. In Amadeus, there are many biblical allusions. The first, and most obvious, is the terms of God’s love. However, he soon discovers that his bargain with God was only one-sided.
The talent he bargained for was never truly bestowed upon him. Unlike Saltier, Mozart was extremely talented, and though he didn’t realize it, he was more of an evangelist than he thought. He didn’t necessarily preach the gospel, but through his music, he discovered and praised God. This infuriates Saltier, and he begins to think of murder. His hunger for the approval of God and the new of Mozart because f it spawns a Cain-like reaction. Saltier manages to kill Mozart reputation and sanity, and claims to have taken his life.
This is proof that God’s divine love and lustier is not something to question. Galleries human nature, his greed, his Jealousy, blinded him to this. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why not me? ” and it brought him to his bitter end. Yet another biblical allusion is Saltier as Satan. Dennis A. Klein states that Saltier is ‘a literary echo of Satan in … Isaiah 14:[13]-15″ (CTD. In Achaeans 45). These three Jerseys are the struggle of Saltier. Saltier “[says in his] heart” that he will become the retreat composer of all time, and he will then give Him his life.
Galleries mistake was this: in trying to become so great, he made his quest to achieve personal greatness rather than praising God. This caused him to be “brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit” (Holy Bible, Isaiah 14. 12-15) in scene nineteen when he cuts his throat. Amadeus is told in a relatively typical dramatic fashion. Antonio Saltier narrates as himself in 1823. The story of his rivalry with Mozart is told as a flashback, so the audience knows what Saltier remembers, and also what he reflects on.
However, the audience is not Just watching the action, but they are invited into it through many asides and the occasional 2nd person narrative. Realistically, Galleries account would be told to another person, but instead, he presents the story directly to the audience, and even includes them in some of the dialogue (Mains 25). In Galleries opening monologue, Saltier addresses the audience as the “Ghosts of the Future” and asks that they “be [his] confessors” (Shaffer 5). The audience must now form their own conclusions and Judge Saltier based on what they decide, and not what has been told to them.
In this way, they can see that Galleries greed and Jealousy have become the main influences on his life, so much so that he can no longer see the beauty in divine love and Justice. Most of this play is set in the decade of 1781-1791, when Saltier was court composer. Scenes mostly take place in extravagant libraries, gilded opera houses, palaces or great homes, or in Mozart or Galleries apartment. The setting is symbolic of Mozart himself. The more grand, austere settings stand for what Mozart is not.
He is grand, yes, but he is immature, and not exactly a functioning citizen in the adult Nor he has been a part of for so long. However, places such as Mozart apartment, or the many luxurious libraries he is in are a perfect representation of Mozart: fanciful yet deliberate. On stage, the actual changing of the sets is also supposed to represent Mozart. According to Shaffer, the sets are constantly and fluidly changing, and this is “to aid the play to be acted throughout in its proper manner: with the sprung line, gracefulness and energy for which Mozart is so especially celebrated” (Shaffer xvi). Pep the audience captivated – hungry for more, greedy even – Shaffer ends most of his scenes in foreshadowing. This tactic is an excellent way to keep the action boning. One interesting aspect of Galleries character is his struggle with female temptation. Shaffer finds a way to satisfy Galleries lustful cravings through sweets. For instance, “while trying to seduce Constance, Saltier tells her: ‘I live on ink and sweetmeats. I never see women at 11). Another stylistic technique is the use of the Ventricles. These “Little Winds” serve as the Greek chorus of 1781.
The lentils are Galleries second and third sets of eyes and ears. They illuminate events that cannot or are not displayed on stage, such as Mozart and Consonant’s marriage Shaffer 39). They also inform Saltier that Leopold Mozart will be enraged at the news that Mozart married without his consent. The various stylistic techniques employed by Shaffer emphasize the action of the plot, and therefore the theme of the story. The story line of Amadeus is mostly chronological, not counting the times when it reverts forward to 1823 so Saltier can narrate from his present perspective.
He begins the story with an account of his life in Italy, as a young boy. At the age of 16, he made a bargain with God. This is the beginning of his downfall. Though Saltier promised his life to God, God never rewarded him with the fame he asked for. What Saltier never realizes is this: it was his mistake to believe that he could bargain with the creator of the universe. The climax of the play, occurring at the end of Act One is En Saltier rages against God after discovering his true mediocrity compared to Mozart: From this time we are enemies, You and l!
I’ll not accept it from You–do you They say God is not mocked. I tell You, Man is not mocked! .. . I am not mocked! You are the Enemy! I name Thee now–Anemic Teeter! And this I swear: To my last breath I shall block You on earth, as far as I am able! What use, after all, is man, if not to teach God His lessons? Shaffer 47) This declaration is truly climactic in all aspects of the term. From this point on, Saltier vows to destroy “the Creature”, and succeeds quite nicely. The beginning of the falling action marks the beginning of Galleries moral fall, as well as Mozart fall from favor within the court.
Amadeus has many characteristics of a classic tragedy. One interesting difference is the ending. The antagonist, dies in the end, and the protagonist lives. However, this is similar to the traditional ending because Saltier, the persona of evil through Jealousy and greed, is the one who lives, and Mozart, and innocent and talented spirit, dies racially. Throughout the novel, there is a motif of mediocrity. Galleries disdain for mediocrity is immediately made evident, through his description of his parents.
Saltier wishes for nothing more than to be extraordinary, and is thoroughly disgusted Ninth himself and his god when he discovers he is merely average compared to Mozart. As Saltier puts it, “We were both ordinary men, he and l. Yet from the ordinary, he created Legends–and I from Legends created only the ordinary! ” (Shaffer 70). Saltier resents God for his lack of musical fire and Mozart for having the musical fire he wishes to acquire. His distaste for the mediocre is finally somewhat absolved Ninth his final quote: “Mediocrities everywhere–now and to come–l absolve you all.
Amen! ” (Shaffer 96). Galleries absolute hate for the mediocre is what truly sparks his Insane Jealousy that causes him to lose sight of God’s love for him, and of the divine Justice in this world. Greed and Jealousy are both powerful forces on a man’s life. They can blacken the soul, and cloud solid Judgment. The maelstrom created by these is one that cannot be easily overcome once it has reached its peak. Unfortunately, this is the main cause hat fogs over man’s vision of the divine.