At the beginning of the play, Salieri describes his desire to be talented and famous, something he has yearned for his entire life. Before he meets Mozart, Salieri is a well-respected composer, musician, and teacher within the Austrian court. Salieri is devoutly religious and sees his social status as his reward from God. But he describes the night he met Mozart as the night that “changed [his] life” (23). Salieri quickly identifies Mozart as a musical talent that will transcend time—an assumption that turns out to be correct. Salieri clings desperately to the illusion of his own legacy, determined to destroy Mozart in hopes that his own contributions will shine brighter if Mozart’s are erased. Salieri pushes Mozart until the young composer predeceases him. However, even curtailing Mozart’s contribution to history and the musical canon does not undermine his historical significance.

Throughout the play, Salieri is responding to rumors circulating that he poisoned Mozart. By the end, it becomes clear that he is not trying to prove his innocence but to lend credence to the rumors. Salieri realizes that all his work will fade into obscurity, that nothing he composed over the course of his lifetime will come close to the

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