Comparing Mozart And Salieri In Peter Shaffer's Film Amadeus

Peter Shaffer’s 1984 film, Amadeus, paints a clear picture of the drastic differences of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri throughout its carefully articulated characterization. These two men may have led their lives in the same city but they were completely divergent people. Their actions, manner of speaking, and appearance accurately portray the sharp contrast between them. Even through adolescence, the differences of the two composers are presented by the way they spent their time. As a child, Salieri wasn’t involved in music, though he desperately wished he was. His father forbade it, telling a young Salieri that he was to go into commerce because that’s what their family did. Salieri was upset by his father’s disapproval that he prayed to God, whom he claimed to be completely

He acted very childishly at times, such as whining “My penalty! You have to give me a penalty!” when his father didn’t play along with a game. He was also quite lewd and vulgar, making dirty jokes and comments. He was also quite conceited, calling himself the best composer in all of Vienna. Mozart was more laid back than Salieri was, and his speech proves that. Mozart wasn’t formal, but Salieri, on the other hand, was extremely formal. Lastly is his laugh, which was high-pitched and annoying. His laugh really resonated with the person that he was. The final aspect of characterization is the way the characters look, which was one of the most telling displays of difference between Salieri and Mozart. For Salieri, his appearance matched his dark personality and his formality. He always dressed in dark clothes, without much color to them. He also never took off the medal that Emperor Joseph II gave him for his music, even though Salieri himself said “Actually the man had no ear at all. But what did it matter? He loved my