Ever since Hamilton came out, it already became a smash hit. But when it released on Disney+ this July 3rd, it was a buzz everywhere. It makes you wonder, what is so interesting about American history that made it famous worldwide?
The musical is about one of the founding fathers of America, Alexander Hamilton. It honestly sounds like a glorified history lesson. Well, it is!
They made cabinet battles into rap battles. But is Hamilton just about Alexander? What if I tell you that the reason that the musical is called Hamilton is that it is about Eliza as well?
Eliza is the true hero of Hamilton
The musical revolves around Alexander Hamilton and the deeds he has done.
But the ending tells us that this musical is actually about how Eliza Hamilton preserved history. She is the reason why the stories of America’s founding fathers are told.
She outlived everyone else and spent the rest of her life trying to document everything. She is the true hero of Hamilton because without her, this musical would have never existed.
What Hamilton talked about
Hamilton talked about Eliza and the details of her life. They talked about how Eliza dealt with the Reynold’s Pamphlet and how she erased herself from that narrative so she doesn’t get sexualized.
This is especially empowering considering even to this day, there would be tabloids acknowledging a woman as someone’s significant other or defining a woman by the men she dated.
They also praised Eliza for doing the “imaginable.” She forgave Alexander, took him back even if he cheated on her. She trusted him again. After all that Alexander did to her— cheated on her, neglected her, and many more that we might not even know of, she still honors him and built an orphanage, perhaps to dedicate it to him because her husband is an orphan himself.
They dedicated the final song, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story, to tell her story. With the lyrics that go, “I raise funds in D.C. for the Washington Monument. I establish the first private orphanage in New York City. I help to raise hundreds of children. I speak out against slavery.”
The rest of Eliza’s life mostly revolved around fulfilling Alexander’s wish: to leave a memorable legacy behind. She spent the rest of her days trying to make sure that, not just Alexander’s, but also the rest of the founding father’s story gets told that she forgot to tell her own.
Through this musical, Lin Manuel Miranda was able to tell her own story. Overall, Eliza is truly a wonderful person but not given enough credit. Miranda makes sure that not only the founding fathers but also the founding mothers will not be left inconspicuous.
The musical’s obsession with legacy
Legacies, how you go or how you’re remembered, seems to be a recurring theme throughout the entire musical. Everyone seemed to be so obsessed with their contributions resonating with society.
If we think about it, other than Lin Manuel Miranda, who’s legacy is this musical?
Hamilton, the musical, is Eliza’s legacy. Alexander’s legacies are the national bank, the constitution, and many more. Although this musical talks about Alexander’s contributions, it was due to Eliza’s rigorous documentation that made this happen.
The final scene: Eliza’s gasp
The musical ends with Alexander leading Eliza towards the front of the stage. She looks to the audience watching, she gasps and starts to get very emotional.
Although Lin Manuel Miranda was asked multiple times what this means, he says that this scene is up for interpretation. Some suggest that she gasped because she died and reunited with the people she outlived.
However, my interpretation is that she gets emotional because her ultimate goal was to make sure Alexander’s story gets told, and it did. Not only that, but her own story is also being told.
This is where we realize that Eliza is the true hero of Hamilton. From the very beginning, she is set apart from the rest of the characters. She’s the only main character that sings in ballad and doesn’t rap.
A fascinating theory tells that she sings in a slower phase because she outlives everyone and takes her time. Eliza is the answer to the closing song, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?
What can we learn from Hamilton?
Hamilton has many lessons to tell. However, in this particular aspect of the musical, we learn that we have no control over what narrative the world will know.
In the lyrics, “History obliterates, in every picture it paints. It paints me and all my mistakes. When Alexander aimed at the sky. He may have been the first one to die, but I’m the one who paid for it.” Aaron Burr expresses his deepest regrets and tells us that the world will remember us for our mistakes, not the good things that you did.
Alexander, before this musical, was known by many as that dude that cheated on his wife and wrote about it. Burr reminds us that the world can overlook all the good deeds and paint you as a villain.
This motif ultimately counters Alexander’s main goal, to “write like he’s running out of time” — to tell his own story because, in the end, it was not him who told his story. Eliza did.
One cannot determine the legacy they will leave for the people to remember, the world will.
Hamilton overall
Hamilton was a brilliant musical. The hip-hop essence made it engaging. Imagine making a cabinet debate that intriguing!
All of the characters ran the show— you simply could not pick a favorite. But, the musical is not just good on its own, Hamilton was also groundbreaking for the broadway industry when it had colorblind casting considering broadway’s track record of discrimination against people of color.
However, Hamilton still has its fair share of valid criticisms. The public is debating the matter of whose story is being told, whether it is ethical to paint slave owners like George Washington in such light.
Although slaves were mentioned in the play, no narrative showed their side of the story. Even with the colorblind casting, this musical is still white history at its core. It would be better to have a musical that talked about unsung heroes who fought against oppression like Harriet Tubman.
At the end of this debacle, probably the best way to settle this is to acknowledge that Hamilton is a spectacular and well-written musical that helped people of color have better opportunities in the broadway industry.
At the same time, we should also remind ourselves not to put these characters on a pedestal as they are real people who have done horrible things. Still, there could have been many ways where the musical could have more historical people of color represented because they are erasing them off the actual narrative and that is a big disappointment.
Story by Jazlyn Grace Ong
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