Let Her be a Part of the Narrative: Eliza Hamilton’s Role in Hamilton the Musical
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Joanne Diaz
Expected Graduation Date
2018
Location
Room E101, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-21-2018 11:00 AM
End Date
4-21-2018 12:00 PM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
In today’s society, it is difficult not to hear about the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. While a variety of critics and spectators of the show recognize the strength and fascinating qualities of characters such as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, very few acknowledge the immense strength represented by Eliza, the accomplished wife of Alexander. Although many find her character to be dull, uneventful, and often not seen as anything more than “good,” Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton demonstrates immense character development and accomplishes a tremendous amount throughout her lifetime in addition to embodying the domesticity of women of her era. In researching Eliza’s character in Hamilton, I have looked into the historical figure’s portrayal in Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton, am comparing Eliza’s accomplishments to the expectations of the women of her time period, I am analyzing Eliza’s lyrics in the musical, and I am looking further into how Eliza is represented in other plays and historical fiction novels and comparing that to how she is represented in Hamilton.
Let Her be a Part of the Narrative: Eliza Hamilton’s Role in Hamilton the Musical
Room E101, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
In today’s society, it is difficult not to hear about the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. While a variety of critics and spectators of the show recognize the strength and fascinating qualities of characters such as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, very few acknowledge the immense strength represented by Eliza, the accomplished wife of Alexander. Although many find her character to be dull, uneventful, and often not seen as anything more than “good,” Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton demonstrates immense character development and accomplishes a tremendous amount throughout her lifetime in addition to embodying the domesticity of women of her era. In researching Eliza’s character in Hamilton, I have looked into the historical figure’s portrayal in Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton, am comparing Eliza’s accomplishments to the expectations of the women of her time period, I am analyzing Eliza’s lyrics in the musical, and I am looking further into how Eliza is represented in other plays and historical fiction novels and comparing that to how she is represented in Hamilton.