ABSTRACT
Antonio Salieri’s confession to a priest at the hospital/asylum which has long been his home reveals that coupled with his exceptional appreciation and love of Mozart’s music was a consuming envy of the composer’s unmatched talent. The portrait of envy that emerges includes the following dimensions: the axis of humility-arrogance; existential seriousness; proximity; and destructiveness. What makes envy malignant is the animosity we bear toward the person who enjoys what we covet. We resent the individual for having the wealth, talent, or station we desire and wish her deprived of it. Salieri’s envy arises from his lack of humility and is in turn fueled by Mozart’s purported arrogance. His envy also draws attention to the degree of existential seriousness involved: the extent to which the desirable object is rooted in what we chiefly value. Because music is the only thing that matters to Salieri, his envy is most profoundly of the existentially serious kind. The film-story also discloses how envy includes proximity to the valued object; Mozart’s ability was almost within Salieri’s range. Finally, the archrival dramatically illustrates the destructive nature of envy. The film concludes with Salieri assisting the sickly, weakened Mozart in composing his magnificent Requiem in order to hasten the demise of the genius.
