God and Hamiltonናሙና

One of the most dramatic scenes from Hamilton centers around an affair he committed with a young woman by the name of Maria Reynolds. The affair, which occurred when Hamilton served as the Secretary of Treasury, became public knowledge and turned into our country’s first government sex scandal. 

Hamilton wronged his wife deeply, causing an unimaginable amount of shame and humiliation. Eliza must have struggled to forgive her husband and rebuild their marriage. Author Tilar Mazzeo points out that the Hamiltons had numerous children throughout their marriage, but in the years after the affair, a long gap existed between their children. It appears they struggled to rebuild intimacy and trust after Hamilton’s betrayal. 

In the song “Burn,” we witness Eliza’s inability to offer forgiveness to Hamilton, at least initially. The song’s title is based on Eliza’s decision to burn the letters she wrote to Hamilton over the years while he was absent from her. Her decision to burn these letters offers a window into the pain Eliza felt over this betrayal. This collection of love letters would have been one of Hamilton’s most treasured possessions. She deprives him of her words of affection and love in this act. She hurts him in the deepest way she knows how. In the song “Burn,” Eliza sings about her hurt, sense of betrayal, and the hate she feels toward her husband. 

Yet Eliza walked deeply with God and ultimately forgave her husband. The scene of Eliza forgiving Hamilton—which, appropriately, takes place in a garden—provides one of the most powerful moments in the entire musical. Hamilton and Eliza stand together onstage, and Hamilton tries to reconcile their relationship. Eliza’s face is hard, her body language tense; she shows no response to Hamilton’s pleadings. But then, in a moment, she softens. Her face moves from anger to sadness. She reaches out and grabs Hamilton’s arm and begins to sing with him. 

I like to imagine Eliza wrestling with God over this issue of forgiveness. She must have felt so hurt and betrayed by her husband, yet she still loved him and knew God called her to forgive. I wonder if Eliza read the Scriptures and reflected on how much God had forgiven her. I like to imagine that stories of forgiveness in Scripture helped Eliza offer forgiveness to her husband. She forgave Hamilton, and, in that act, found freedom.