In 1823, Antonio Salieri, a once-revered composer, now aged and confined to a psychiatric hospital, attempts suicide, claiming responsibility for the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As he recovers from his failed attempt, Salieri is visited by Father Vogler, a young Catholic priest who urges him to confess his sins and seek absolution. Salieri, feeling both bitter and vindicated, begins recounting his story, leading Vogler through a confession filled with jealousy, ambition, and divine torment.
Salieri, once a devout believer, had been captivated by the tales of Mozart’s prodigious talent as a child. He saw Mozart as the epitome of musical genius, a gift from God Himself. As a young man, Salieri fervently prayed for success, promising God his unwavering devotion in exchange for musical greatness. When his father died unexpectedly, Salieri interpreted this event as divine intervention, clearing the path for his ascent in the world of music. By 1774, he had secured a prestigious position as the court composer for Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II in Vienna, believing himself to be fulfilling his divine purpose.
However, Salieri’s world is upended when he finally meets Mozart in person. Expecting a man of grace and dignity, he instead encounters an unruly, childish, and often vulgar individual, whose behavior starkly contrasts with the ethereal beauty of his compositions. To Salieri’s horror, Mozart’s music is far superior to anything he himself has composed. What pains him further is that Mozart appears to channel his music effortlessly, never revising his scores, as though he were merely transcribing divine melodies. Salieri cannot comprehend why God would bestow such an extraordinary gift upon a man he deems unworthy. This realization shatters his faith, and he renounces God, vowing to exact revenge not upon Mozart directly, but upon the divine force that blessed him so unfairly.
Despite his immense talent, Mozart struggles to find stable patronage in Vienna. His revolutionary compositions are often misunderstood, and his finances deteriorate rapidly. His wife, Constanze, is deeply concerned about their growing debts. Salieri, while outwardly feigning friendship and admiration, secretly schemes against him, ensuring that his opportunities remain limited. The two composers form an uneasy acquaintance, both recognizing the Emperor’s lack of musical insight. However, Mozart, unaware of Salieri’s enmity, often dismisses his compositions as uninspired and pedestrian, a slight that wounds Salieri deeply.
When Mozart boldly decides to adapt the controversial play The Marriage of Figaro into an opera, Salieri believes he has found the perfect opportunity to see Mozart disgraced. Certain that such a subversive work will be rejected, Salieri is astonished when Mozart persuades Emperor Joseph II to approve it. Yet, despite its brilliance, the opera fails to secure the Emperor’s enthusiasm, leading to its premature cancellation. Salieri rejoices at Mozart’s misfortune, only to be stunned once more when Mozart follows up with Don Giovanni, a dark and powerful opera that captivates audiences, including Salieri himself. Consumed with envy, Salieri works behind the scenes to ensure this opera, too, is met with disfavor.
As Mozart’s struggles deepen, Salieri devises his most insidious plan yet. Recognizing Mozart’s growing instability and financial desperation, he decides to exploit Mozart’s anxieties about his late father. Disguising himself in a dark cloak, he commissions a Requiem Mass, posing as an anonymous patron, with the intent of having Mozart unknowingly compose his own funeral music. His ultimate goal is to kill Mozart, claim the Requiem as his own, and bask in the divine glory that should have been his. In this way, Salieri believes he can finally triumph over God.
Mozart, burdened with multiple projects, begins to succumb to exhaustion. He works tirelessly on both The Magic Flute and the Requiem, but his declining health worries Constanze, who pleads with him to prioritize his well-being. Unable to persuade him, she leaves with their son, hoping that distance might allow him to regain some stability. However, Mozart only deteriorates further, and on the night of The Magic Flute’s successful premiere, he collapses from sheer fatigue.
Sensing that his plan is nearing completion, Salieri seizes his chance. He visits the bedridden Mozart and, under the guise of assisting him, urges him to continue composing the Requiem. Salieri, in awe of Mozart’s genius despite his own hatred, takes dictation as Mozart feverishly composes. In these final moments, Salieri experiences a profound internal conflict. Though he despises Mozart, he cannot deny the brilliance of his music. For the first time, he acknowledges the chasm between them—Mozart’s talent is undeniable, divine even, and Salieri will never reach such heights.
Mozart, believing Salieri to be a true friend in his final hours, expresses gratitude for his support. Salieri, deeply affected, admits that Mozart is the greatest composer he has ever known. Before he can complete the Requiem, Mozart succumbs to exhaustion and dies. Constanze returns too late, horrified to find her husband lifeless. As Salieri tries to remain in the apartment, hoping to seize the unfinished Requiem, Constanze forcibly expels him. Though she has long despised him for his earlier cruelty, she now does so with renewed venom, unaware of the depth of his treachery.
Due to his overwhelming debts, Mozart receives no grand funeral. Instead, his body is unceremoniously buried in a mass grave, his genius unrecognized by most in his time. Salieri, watching the burial, realizes that he has failed in his quest. God did not allow him to share in Mozart’s glory, nor did He permit Salieri to claim it for himself. Instead, Mozart’s music will endure, while Salieri himself will fade into obscurity.
Returning to 1823, Salieri concludes his tale, leaving Father Vogler in a state of shock. Unable to offer absolution, the young priest departs, his faith shaken by the story of one man’s struggle against divine injustice. Salieri, now resigned to his fate, is wheeled through the asylum’s corridors, mockingly proclaiming himself the “patron saint of mediocrities.” As he absolves his fellow inmates of their own artistic inadequacies, Mozart’s laughter echoes hauntingly in the air, a final reminder of the genius that will live on long after both men are gone.