Indeed, sometimes I wonder at those writers who display no desire to alter anything when work is revived. And sometimes, too, I envy their seeming certitude - or even their indifference, which may be a form of instinctive wisdom!
Peter Shaffer is certainly none of those writers who do not feel the desire to alter their work. There are six different versions of his playAmadeuswhich have been produced on stage and screen since 1979, whenAmadeusmade its first appearance in the National Theatre of Great Britain, London. The latest version of Shaffer’s play was published in 1999, after being revived and staged in London and New York. Writing and, mainly, re-writing Amadeus has been a process of 20 years in which Shaffer changed not only some aspects of the plot but in the first place of characters and their meaning. The most prominent alternations can be seen at the end of the second act, the final confrontation of the two main characters, Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is especially this scene of their last meeting that Shaffer felthard […] to get right, because he considered it as the play’s structural climax whereas the historical truth - Salieri survived Mozart 34 years,retired, replaced and essentially rejected3- was anticlimactic.
This essay shall investigate the alternations of the last confrontation between the two characters and their impact on one of the major motifs of the play, Salieri’s struggle with God. Therefore, the 1979 original version (published 1980) of Amadeus,the 1981 revised version, which has long been the basis for all presentations around the world, and the recently published 1999 version will be analyzed and compared. The 1984 film version, directed by Milos Forman, will not be taken into considerations because theatre and film are very different forms of art. They work with different techniques and offer different opportunities of presentation. There are losts of changes made for the movie that meet with the conception of presenting a story on screen. A comparison of play and film that does justice to both forms is impossible within in the scope of this essay.4The 1997 version will be excluded as well because it is merely a provisional result for the following ones. The versions of 1998 and 1999 will be treated as a single one because there are only slight differences between them.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Characters
2.1. Antonio Salieri
2.2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. The ‘Final Encounter’ and its Versions
3.1. 1979/80: The Original Version
3.2. 1981: The Revised Version
3.3. 1998/1999: Taking It up again
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the evolution of Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus over two decades, focusing specifically on the structural changes made to the final confrontation between Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It explores how these revisions impact the characterization of Salieri and his central motif of struggling against God.
- The characterization and subjectivity of Antonio Salieri as narrator.
- The depiction of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the demythologization of his genius.
- A comparative analysis of the play's major textual versions (1979, 1981, and 1999).
- The thematic development of Salieri's struggle with God and his search for absolution.
- The transition of the "Final Encounter" from a melodramatic plot point to a tragic revelation.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. 1981: The Revised Version
Soon after the publication of the original version Shaffer was aware of a certain dissatisfaction of its second act and revised the play, especially the final confrontation of Mozart and Salieri. He felt that the Italian composer should move to the centre of the scene and that his part in the final atrocity should be the active one. To achieve this, the part of Greybig was eliminated. In the original version he is very much involved in the intrigue, as the above analysis has shown.
Another point was that Salieri’s complicity with Count Walsegg had to go for reasons of credibility and probability: Shaffer wanted a more natural way into [his] Last Encounter, and rightly realized that Salieri’s knowledge of such a secret plan is highly improbable as well as sending his valet is a much too public thing because the servant maybe would be gossiping.
The revised version shows Antonio Salieri even more villainous, calculating and full of hate than the previous one. Having used his influence at court against Wolfgang, he offers himself as a fatherly friend after Leopold Mozart’s death. The rival tells Salieri about seeing the grey messenger and that he is convinced the mysterious man is sent by God to compose his own funeral music, but the Italian believes (and the audience does so as well) that this is only a dream, a kind of hallucination. But it suits Salieri’s plan fine, and he takes the chance to give Mozart the last push.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the essay, noting the focus on the evolution of Amadeus and the exclusion of film and provisional versions.
2. The Characters: Analyzes the dual nature of Antonio Salieri as the subjective narrator and the portrayal of Mozart as an infantile, flawed vessel for divine genius.
3. The ‘Final Encounter’ and its Versions: Details the chronological changes made to the play's climax, tracking the removal of the valet and the deepening of Salieri’s psychological complexity.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the transformation of the play's protagonists into tragic figures and reflects on the universal theme of human imperfection.
Keywords
Peter Shaffer, Amadeus, Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Drama, Literature, Revisions, Final Encounter, Struggle with God, Music, Theater, Demythologization, Character Evolution, Absolution, Mediocrity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the different versions of Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus, specifically analyzing the textual evolution of the final confrontation between the main characters.
Which versions of the play are compared?
The analysis compares the 1979 original version, the 1981 revised version, and the 1999 updated version.
What is the central research question?
The study investigates how the modifications to the play's final act altered the characterization of Salieri and impacted the core motif of his struggle with God.
Is the 1984 film version included in the analysis?
No, the 1984 film directed by Milos Forman is excluded because the author argues that film and theatre are distinct art forms, making a direct comparison outside the scope of this essay.
How is the character of Antonio Salieri portrayed?
Salieri is presented as a complex, subjective narrator who is driven by envy and a perceived injustice by God, ultimately acting as the "Patron Saint of Mediocrities."
What primary methodology is utilized?
The work utilizes a comparative literary analysis of the various stage play versions, supported by Shaffer’s own reflections on the work.
What was the function of the character "Ignaz Greybig" in the original version?
Greybig served as Salieri's valet and the messenger from Count Walsegg, acting as a direct tool for Salieri to manipulate and destroy Mozart.
Why was the character of the valet removed in later versions?
The character was removed for reasons of credibility and to shift the focus, making Salieri the active, central agent in the final psychological destruction of Mozart.
What does the term "Final Encounter" signify in the context of the play?
It refers to the climactic meeting between Salieri and Mozart at the end of the second act, which underwent significant structural changes across the different versions of the play.
- Quote paper
- Jasmin Ostermeyer (Author), 2005, Always hard for me to get it right - The Different Versions of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/48732
