He was always present at the real and public operas directed by Mozart. Yet he couldn't stand the man. She even went so far as to hire a maid to clean Mozart's house, so that she could gather incriminating information about the opera he was composing. These conflicting ideals soon led Salieri to a plot that would not only eliminate Mozart, but also allow Salieri to take credit for a final composition, The Requiem. Assuming the guise of an anonymous benefactor, Salieri commissioned Mozart to write the Requiem in short order. The pressure to finish the piece as well as the other pieces Mozart was working on eventually led to a breakdown in Mozart's health. A collapse that will culminate with Mozart's argument during the performance of the "Magic Flute". Salieri was conveniently present and was the person who brought Mozart home. Instead of seeking the medical help that Mozart desperately needed, Salieri convinces Mozart to complete the work he had secretly commissioned at times driving him to complete exhaustion. The two work the rest of the night on the piece before Mozart finally succumbs to exhaustion and eventually dies. It's a death that Salieri takes credit for in the film's opening scene during his attempt