Hamilton

Hamilton

by

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: Act 1: That Would Be Enough Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Back at home, Hamilton learns that Eliza is pregnant. Her message is simple but potent in wartime: “just stay alive, that would be enough.” She also begs to be given more insight into Hamilton’s inner life: “let me be a part of the narrative / in the story they will write someday.”
Eliza is a giant part of Hamilton’s lived experience, but even in the moment, she can tell that she might not be integral to the more removed story of his life that archives will tell. Just like Lafayette and Mulligan, Eliza points out, she also wants to leave a legacy of her own. But Eliza’s desire appears to have more to do with enjoying a happy family life than with building a new nation—a desire that conflicts with her husband’s ambition.
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