This is a scene of exposition. In the stage directions at the start "savage whispers fill the theatre" but we the audience can not yet make out what is being said. The whispering is described as "snake like", this can have the dual meaning of describing the way the Citizens of Vienna speak but may also be symbolic, as snakes are portrayed to be friends of the devil and symbolic of evil; which Salieri is also being portrayed to be. The opening of the play is anthodium like and there is a use of sounds to unsettle the audience. The alliterative quality of the words "Salieri" and "assassin" add to the heightening drama. As we can see an old man sitting downstage in a wheelchair this adds to the...