Previous
Act 1: The Schuyler Sisters
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hamilton, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Collaboration, Disagreement, and Democracy
Stories vs. History
Ambition and Mortality
Immigration and Diversity of Influence
Honor
Summary
Analysis
Samuel Seabury, a Loyalist, defends the British to a tune of harpsichords and fifes. But Hamilton responds to Seabury with rap, incorporating his rival’s words into new—and eviscerating—responses. For example, Seabury will sing “heed not the rebels who scream Revolution / they have not your interests at heart”; Hamilton will reply, “the Revolution is comin’ / the have-nots are gonna win this.” At one point, Seabury switches musical keys—and Hamilton warns him, “don’t modulate the key then not debate with me!”
Increasingly, the musical is establishing that style is a clue to content: here, the fussy and out-of-date music corresponds to Seabury’s elitist and out-of-date ideas. More than that, though, Hamilton’s flexing—his ability to turns “rebels” into “Revolution,” “have not” into “have-nots”—shows his incredible intelligence and ambition. Plus, his emphasis on the “have-nots” once again suggests Hamilton’s vision for an America built on immigration and class mobility (instead of landed gentry like Seabury and Jefferson).
Themes
