Antonio Salieri
“My parents were provincial subjects of the Austrian Empire .. Their notion of God was a superior Habsburg emperor. . . . All they required of him was to protect commerce, and keep them forever preserved in mediocrity. My own requirements were very different. I wanted 'Fame' Yet only in one especial way.

Music' Absolute music Already when I was ten a spray of sounded notes would make me dizzy almost to falling. By twelve, I was stumbling about under the poplar trees humming my arias and anthems to the Lord My one desire was to join all the composers who had celebrated His glory through the long Italian past.”

The character of Salieri is both the narrator and leading character.  It is through him that the audience experiences all the play’s most important events. Despite his prominence Shaffer didn’t name the play after him, instead choosing to use the name of his rival Amadeus.

Amadeus means ‘the man who God loves’ and this reflects the torment Shaffer constructs for Salieri.  Confronted by his own mediocrity he determines to destroy what he has bargained with God to obtain – fame through music in return of a life of virtue and public service.   

As court composer to the Emperor Salieri is the "the most successful young musician in the city of musicians," he is popular and happy looking forward to achieving fame as a brilliant composer.  That is until Mozart arrives in Vienna.  After hearing Mozart’s compositions, Salieri is left facing his own mediocrity. 

Through Salieri’s journey of transformation, Shaffer, investigates one of the main themes of the play that of God and religion.  The young Salieri is certain that music is God’s vehicle for immortalizing mediocrity but after hearing Mozart’s music he is forced to confront this belief, the question he now has to solve is:  is music the voice of God or man?  After he has discovered that while his music is not the voice of God but that Mozart’s is, he abandons his earlier vow to serve God vowing instead to destroy him.

Although Salieri is successful while Mozart fails, he refuses to see this as a sign of God keeping his side of the bargain, preferring to be influenced by his jealousy and rage – turning his back on God and morality. Salieri’s seduction of Katherina and resignation from his committees illustrates this change in his character; he is no longer the young man full of confidence and promise,  but a bitter man consumed with jealousy and rage.  Salieri still desires fame but determines to achieve it through ‘infamy’ in the form of murder.

Yet Salieri never completely leaves behind his need for atonement which he tries to achieve by ruining his own reputation that he has spent his life building.  He sees this as a form of penance.  At the same time Salieri is unable to overcome his desire for immortality.  ”After today, whenever men speak of Mozart’s name with love, they will speak of mine with loathing! As his name grows in the world, so will mine – if not in fame, then in infamy.  I am going to be immortal after all. And He will be powerless to prevent that! So, Signore – see now if man is mocked!”  He turns to the audience for absolution,  “… the first sin that I have to confess to you is gluttony.” But even his attempt at suicide fails; no one believes his ‘confession’ and he is destined to spend the rest of his life in the torment of oblivion.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

We see Mozart as Salieri sees him.  Although the play is called Amadeus, he is not the main character and does not appear until Act I, Part 3. He is immature, childlike, playful and extreme in his emotions – a complete contrast to Salieri.

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Leopold Mozart

Mozart’s father is never seen but is a key person in Mozart’s life.  Mozart is afraid of him but is devastated by his death and calls out to him at his own death.

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Constanze Weber

Mozart marries Constanze who was his landlady’s daughter, ‘a pretty girl with high spirits’.  They often argue but she does support him, offering to do as Salieri wishes (to have an affair) if he will recommend Mozart of a job.  She is a woman of the world despite her playfulness, she knows about Mozart’s affairs and knows exactly what Salieri wants from her.

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Katherina Cavalieri

Katherina is Salieri’s pupil and has affairs with him and Mozart.  Her part is silent.  Salieri remains faithful to his wife until he thinks that God has betrayed him.

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Baron Gottfried Van Swieten

He is the prefect of the Imperial Library.   Van Swieten is an ardent Freemason and likes old-fashioned music.  He defends traditional subjects for the opera because “Opera is here to ennoble us… It is an aggrandizing art.”

Van Swieten does try to help Mozart, introducing him to the Masons.  He is outraged when Mozart puts the Mason’s rituals into “a vulgar show” and ensures Mozart gets no more work, unwittingly helping Salieri to destroy him.

Van Swieten does give Constanze some money for the children after Mozart’s death but only pays for a paupers funeral for him.

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Count Franz Orsini - Rosenberg

He is the director of the Imperial Opera.  Rosenberg is described as ‘plump and supercilious’.

He clashes with Mozart over his music from the start of the play and follows Salieri’s suggestion that Mozart’s opera could be stopped because of the rule against ballets in opera.

When the Emperor insists the music is put back in Rosenberg is furious and vows to take his revenge succeeding in getting the opera cancelled.

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Count Johann Von Strack

He is the groom of the Imperial Chamber. He is ‘stiff and proper.’ and ‘official to his collarbone’.  He is one of the 3 court advisors with Van Swieten and Rosenberg, influencing the Emperor on musical matters.

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Emperor Joseph II

The Emperor is an ‘adorer of music – provided that it made no demands upon the royal brain’”.  He likes things short and simple and therefore, often finds Mozart’s music too much to understand.  This means he is easily influenced by Salieri and his court advisors.

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Venticelli

There are 2 Venticelli who are used to set the scene or move the play onto a new direction.  They speak quickly, to Salieri, to each other or to the audience and are ‘purveyors of fact, rumour, and gossip throughout the play.’  The Venticelli open Amadeus by telling the audience that everyone is taking about Salieri’s claim that he killed Mozart.

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Audience

In Amadeus the audience are one of the characters.  Salieri often addresses them to get their support or understanding.  This is a useful dramatic effect to draw people into the play and make them more involved.

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