Ben McManus: The Amadeus Archetype

Ben McManus

The Amadeus Archetype:

I’m only calling it that because that’s where I noticed it first. I’ve since noticed this archetype in Tarkovskiy’s Andrie Rublev, and in The Bible’s 1^st Samuel. The archetype deals with a relationship between two men: one who seems to posses some form of divine inspiration, and another who envies it hopelessly. In Samuel, Saul struggles to accept God’s favoritism toward David. In Andrie Rublev, Kirill can’t stand to be in the presences of Andrie, who is more in touch with spirituality. In Amadeus, Salieri rejects the reality that despite all his dedication, he’ll never make music like Mozart. In all versions, the meeker character blames God, and subsequently turns his back on faith. What interests me is the different ways in which each of these stories executes and carries out the archetype.

In 1^st Samuel, Saul can’t stop himself. He calls to mind the Pharaoh from Exodus, in that he eventually wants to stop himself, but simply can’t. Despite being repeatedly reminded that David is not his enemy, Saul can’t extinguish his urge to destroy him. As such, Saul pursues David’s downfall tirelessly until it brings him to his own brutal demise. In this rendition of the archetype, the favored character takes an undefeatable form. Saul’s efforts unfold in a hopeless plight. But what if Saul had won? What if he’d succeeded in destroying David?

In Amadeus, Salieri actually succeeds in his effort to destroy Mozart. Salieri feels God betrayed him in investing such great talent into such an immoral man. In an obscure tale of revenge, Salieiri destroys the man he believes God favors. Unlike Saul, Salieri finds a way to topple his advocacy. For me, this rendition provides a more interesting and complex look at the archetype.  Would destroying David have brought Saul piece? For Salieiri, it brings just the opposite. As Mozart dies in his bed, Salieri fills with regret that torments him till his own death. He quickly comes to miss the divine inspiration only Mozart could translate into music. In many ways, Salieri suffers much more than Saul. Salieri actually succeeds in making his greatest mistake. The pain of which is far worse than that of even the most brutal death. That being said, in surviving, Salieri does get a chance to learn from the error of his ways, even if that understanding haunts him till his deathbed.  “Forgive me Mozart! Forgive me...!”

If you fail, you die. If you succeed, you suffer. What can one do? In this case, the correct answer seems to be the simplest, but the hardest to really understand. After years of suffering alone in the world, Kirill somehow comes into this understanding: Acceptance. He comes to accept that he does not share Andrie’s ability and that he must accept what little he can do to serve his beliefs. What’s more, Kirill recognizes what a burden such a divine connection can be. How could Saul know the pain David knew? Acknowledging this burden, Kirill atones for his transgressions. He finds the strength to motivate Andrie back to his art.  He transforms his existence to the polar opposite of its original state. For me, this is just as inspiring as the works of the artist he envied.