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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who invites Salieri to join the Masons?

2. What family dynasty rules in Vienna?

3. What does Salieri do, in his pain?

4. What words are whispered at the beginning of the play?

5. Who is the lead singer Mozart has engaged?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Mozart manage to insult Count Orsini-Rosenberg?

2. What is the significance of the golden light that bathes the Emperor and his court?

3. In what way does Salieri contradict himself in the scene in which he attempts to seduce Constanze?

4. Account for Salieri's shout from the chair as he listens to Mozart and Constanze play their bawdy game.

5. In what way does Salieri believe God is torturing him?

6. What does his comment about his requirement in a wife reveal about Salieri's character?

7. What is Van Swieten's attitude to Salieri at this point in the play?

8. What is striking about Salieri's description of the Adagio from the Serenade for Thirteen Wind Instruments (K. 361)?

9. What story does the Emperor tell to Mozart?

10. What concrete information about Mozart is passed to Salieri by the Venticelli?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

'Salieri's 'virtue' is mere behavior: it is not a movement of the soul towards God, and is easily discarded.' Is this an accurate appraisal? Discuss Salieri's relationship with God, as depicted in the play.

Essay Topic 2

To what extent is the Mozart of Shaffer's play responsible for his own downfall? Your discussion should contain close reference to the text.

Essay Topic 3

Choose two of the minor--though crucial--characters in Amadeus and discuss their function in the play as a whole. (Exclude the Venticelli from this discussion.)

(see the answer keys)

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