Classical Music Breaks Bad: Mozart’s Downfall in Amadeus Hannah Bentz 12th Grade

In today’s society, mental illnesses are slowly being recognized as serious health problems that require some sort of treatment, whether the treatment is therapy, medication, or both. In the 1700s, however, mental illnesses were not acknowledged as a problem and were simply brushed off. Such is the case of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a (real life) character in Peter Shaffer’s heavily fictionalized play Amadeus. Mozart is a child prodigy, a man who is destined for great things. As a result of his upbringing at the hands of a strict and inflexible father, Mozart’s mental health is rather delicate. Antonio Salieri, one of Emperor Joseph’s court composers, views Mozart as extremely dangerous competition. In order to “win” fame and fortune, things Salieri believes that God has destined him for, Salieri uses Mozart’s mental problems to slowly and systematically destroy Mozart’s life. Salieri uses Mozart’s mental issues to methodically alienate Mozart from his companions and to destroy his career.

Salieri destroys Mozart’s career by emphasizing Mozart’s character flaws to his employers and by increasing Mozart’s mental instability. Mozart was a child when he began to play tours of Europe with his father, a fact noted by Emperor Joseph’...