equss vs amadeus by peter shaffer Essay - 1347 Words

In both Equus and Amadeus Shaffer shows insanity in his characters. He does this not only to stress the characters feelings and state of mind of which they are in. Also, he attempts to cast a blanket over the reader; it gives the reader the feeling that Shaffer designed the characters to express and reflect the beauty in insanity and to convey the ugliness on normality. â€Å"Madness, if not out rightly divine, is at best preferable to the 20th century’s ruthless and uninspired sanity, is in this play, as it is so much fashionable philosophizing, totally dependent on a pleasant, aesthetically rational form of derangement for the credibility of its argument† (Richardson 389). Shaffer brings us into these feelings with the story of Alan Strang,†¦show more content†¦Shaffer is questioning the notion or sanity and normality and this intrigues the reader. But when it comes time for Dysart to do his job, what will happen to the boy? â€Å"There’s no question that the boy himself is in deep pain and distress† (Shaffer 356). Is Dysart the savior to the hell that Alan is going through or is he the fiend that will show Alan the hell that is normality? Amadeus begins with the â€Å"savage whispers† and snakelike hissing† of the Ventricelli, the two Little Winds who appear throughout the play, spreading rumors. They spew forth words from their mouths like curses, First â€Å"Saliere† and â€Å"assassin† emerge, followed by the talk of Mozart’s death, or murder, and the question that we are left with: Did Saliere murder Mozart? If he did, why did he wait thirty-two years to make his confession (Morace 37)? Saliere starts his story off by telling us about his bargain with God. He says that in exchange for God’s making him a composer, he would dedicate his art to God and his life to serving God and man (Morace 37). This is the Saliere with love in his heart and good fortune in his future, but he soon changes his way of looking at the good that God does. â€Å"The Saliere of 1781 is an honored and prolific composer in the court of Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, who he has dedicated his life and his talents to the greater honor and glory of God and has obtained fame. Salieri belongs to a clique of Italians who have culturally