How does Shaffer draw upon aspects of the play's historical background to enhance its dramatic interest?
James Bevan
How does Shaffer draw upon aspects of the play’s historical background to enhance its dramatic interest? Consider:
The period in which the play is set
Its setting – Vienna
The background of Court Life
The events in Amadeus happen in the eighteenth and nineteen century. Vienna is the capital of an expansive empire. It is the centre of the musical world, somewhere seemingly perfect for a genius of music. We are immediately introduced to Vienna’s citizens who themselves are also an audience to the events that unfold. The emperor’s taste in music is superficial; Salieri’s simple compositions are ideal as they “make no demand on the royal ear”. Mozart’s music is therefore too challenging for a man of such minimalism. Mozart’s unutterably beautiful music is merely described as having “too many notes”. This clearly shows that they simply cannot comprehend the magnitude of Mozart’s music as music cannot have too many notes.
Historically, the play is set in the ‘Age of Reason’. People in this era fundamentally believe that shared beliefs were more important than personal opinion, and therefore public life mattered more than private life. With this in mind we can directly contrast this way of life with what Mozart brings to Vienna. Our initial meeting with him shows us his complete disregard to social etiquette and a personality totally unheard of for his time. Mozart shows no sense of hesitation to commit sexual acts in a library. Directly contrasted with this wild character is Salieri. Salieri epitomises the culture in the Age of Reason, his conservative way of living is exposed both sexually and musically. It is in these two fields where Mozart is illustrated so creatively, “I’ll want everything backwards, once I‘m married I would want to lick my wife’s arse instead of her face”. Salieri performs simple music for the Emperors ‘non-demanding ear’ and his wife is described as his “domestic companion” with a “lack of fire”.