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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. What causes Salieri physical pain as he listens to the piece?

2. Who is the lead singer Mozart has engaged?

3. How could Constanze secure for husband the job of tutor to Princess Elizabeth?

4. What quality does Salieri say he requires in a wife?

5. Who is named as an old pupil of Salieri's?

Short Essay Questions

1. Comment on Salieri's appeal to 'the ghosts of the future'.

2. In what way does Salieri claim to be different from his parents?

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

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

5. What strategy does Salieri use in his attempt to seduce Constanze?

6. What does Salieri do to cope with the psychic blow he has received through hearing Mozart's music?

7. In what ways does Salieri work to undermine Mozart in this section of the play?

8. How does the play open?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

'The real tragedy is Salieri's. He kills nothing but his own soul.' Do you agree?

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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