How does Pete Shaffer engage the audience through tension in act 1 of ‘Amadeus’?

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How does Pete Shaffer engage the audience through tension in act 1 of ‘Amadeus’?

In Pete shaffer’s theatrical story ‘Amadeus’, Shaffer manages to create tension to engage the attention of the audience. He achieves this through styles of speech, detailed stage directions and a deep insight into the story characters.

        The speech in Amadeus varies for separate characters, some talk fast with short sentences like the venticelli who never say a sentence more than five or six words long. Along with the short sentences they also talk rapidly with no pause or acting sequences between lines. This keeps the audience alert and on their toes while they are speaking, plus the venticelli also gossip about Mozart, stirring up rumours and possible rivalry amongst other characters, [p.39] ‘they’re married…Mozart and Weber-married…really…his father will be furious!’ Mozart’s speech is generally vulgar and somewhat uncontrolled, he often giggles like a madman, uses obscene language in front of crowds of people and rhymes words together and says things backwards for amusement [p24] ‘I am going to bite you in half with my fang wangs! My little Stanzerl – Wanzerl - Banzerl!’ this engages the attention of the audience because it creates interest and mystery into Mozart’s character because you want to know why he acts like he does. Tension is greatly created by Mozart’s casual use of fowl language in front of important upper – class people, you are kept in anticipation waiting for it to get him in serious trouble by someone objecting to his swearing and trying put an end to it. [P.40]’did you see his last opera?…Dog shit! Dried dog shit!’ Mozart seems to being trying very hard to keep control of his mouth and even admits that sometimes he loses control of himself and can’t help the way he talks. This plays on the emotions of the audience by making them feel sorry for Mozart, and keeps the audiences attention because they get more involved with his character. Salieri’s speech is a complete opposite to Mozart’s. Salieri is a polite and well – mannered speaker, he is tactful and controlled with his language. Due to the initial disliking that Salieri takes to Mozart, Salieri knows he can’t out class Mozart with his music so he tries to use language to show him up, for instance, he speaks to Mozart in Italian expecting him not to understand, but Mozart answers back in fluent Italian [p31]. Salieri does not only use his knowledge of Italian to assert himself with Mozart, on [p.21] he does the same to Von Strack. This is part of the initial conflict between Mozart and Salieri and it is one of the main aspects of Amadeus that Shaffer uses to engage the attention of the audience, the audience wants to know what will come of their rivalry and as it progress’, it provides them with tension and something to focus the plot on. Constanze’s speech is slightly common and middle class [p.38] ‘oh, scuse me’, and [p.39] ‘Ta very much’. This intrigues the audience because they wonder how a middle class girl will fair living amongst the rich upper classes, also how Mozart will manage, because due to his lack of etiquette you would think that a wife that can compensate would be more appropriate than one who is not much better herself.

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        The main characters of Amadeus are all quite contrasting to one another. Mozart lacks little serious for many things, he is a wild man, and a lose cannon that is ready to fire at any moment usually with a flurry of awful language and distasteful behaviour. He tries his best when necessary to be well behaved but as previously mentioned he sometimes cannot help himself and he admits to it. Despite the vulgar way he usually acts, Mozart is far from stupid, so Shaffer creates a mystery about Mozart, he does not reveal until much further on in the story ...

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