Anyone who follows me on social media has no doubt witnessed my complete and utter enamoration with Hamilton, the grammy award winning, hip-hop inspired musical about Alexander Hamilton and his role in the creation of America by Lin Manuel-Miranda. The musical, despite being absolutely brilliant, follows the “bastard, orphan son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by Providence impoverished in squalor , who grew up to be a hero and a scholar” from his involvement in the American Revolution through his political career and his ultimately fatal duel with Aaron Burr after Burr’s failed Presidential bid in 1800.
After several (read: probably far too many) listens of the soundtrack, I started to think more critically about the way that Miranda chooses to tell Hamilton’s story through the musical. Using the actual historical events and primary sources he manages to weave a compelling tale that is not only a very entertaining and illuminating look at one of America’s Founding Fathers with very few liberties taken, but also very closely mirrors Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. Every single salient point is represented which we’ll look at over the next two weeks. This week we’ll discuss the first act of the musical, which actually seems to cover the first three quarters or so of the hero’s journey. There are mirrors of larger points within the confines of the second act, but it largely tells the last quarter of that journey. As such, I’ll be tackling that portion along with those particular echoes next week.
- THE ORDINARY WORLD
The musical opens with Alexander Hamilton introducing himself, speaking to his humble origins in the Caribbean. He established himself early on as very intelligent and as a gifted and prolific writer. He was able to use these skills to earn his way to the American colonies to continue his education.
- THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
While trying to get into Princeton College, Hamilton meets Aaron Burr. He also meets revolutionaries John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and the Marquis de Lafayette and gets involved in the early days of the American Revolution, speaking out publicly in favor of the Continental Congress and against Britain’s incessant taxation of the Colonies, debating with Samuel Seabury, a British Loyalist living in the Colonies.
- REFUSAL OF THE CALL
Hamilton, believing that the best way for him to advance is to earn a command where he can distinguish himself as a leader, wants so badly to fight in the war and prove himself on the battlefield that he very staunchly refuses several positions to serve as secretary to several notable figures in the Continental Army. He fights several engagements in the early days of the war that continue to draw attention to him, further reinforcing his belief.
- MEETING WITH THE MENTOR
General George Washington speaks to Hamilton and convinces him he can help the Revolution the most by accepting a position as Washington’s aide de camp. Hamilton realizes that he cannot pass this opportunity up and accepts his position.
- CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
Hamilton uses his abilities with the written word to continue to distinguish himself for four years as Washington’s aide. And while he executes his duties faithfully, he still wants to fight, believing that is where he needs to be to advance his station after the war. During this time, he also continues to chase upwards social mobility by courting the Schuyler sisters, eventually marrying Eliza.
- TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES
The Continental Army struggles to win engagements against the British Forces. Meanwhile Hamilton continues to gain allies within Washington’s forces, further cementing his friendships with Laurens, Mulligan, and Lafeyette. However, he continues to campaign to be returned to active combat duty, where he feels he needs to be to secure his position after the war. He also makes an enemy of General Charles Lee which goes badly for Hamilton after he is dismissed by Washington for pursuing a duel with General Lee after the nearly disastrous Battle of Monmouth.
- APPROACH
The war continues on while Hamilton is at home with his pregnant wife. However, after securing French aid, Lafeyette finally convinces Washington to bring Hamilton back to the field and active duty to help them win a decisive engagement against the British Forces at Yorktown.
- THE ORDEAL
The Revolutionary War builds to its climax at Yorktown where Hamilton helps secure victory for the new country with his first command. He led his men to take Redoubt #10, helping to secure the way for American forces to lay siege to the city of Yorktown from multiple directions. He proved to be very successful, taking the fortification with few casualties. The battle ended with the surrender of British forces, effectively ending hostilities until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783.
Act I ends with Hamilton returning to civilian life after the war and pursuing a career in law. But very quickly he finds himself called back into the thick of things as he is asked to take part in the Constitutional Convention. He continues to use his skill with the quill and publishes his decidedly most famous essays in The Federalist Papers defending the new document that would become America’s Constitution. And the rest of his journey is set when he is asked to join President George Washington’s Cabinet as the first Secretary of the Treasury, giving him THE REWARD he was so aggressively pursuing during the war.
But we’ll discuss that next week…
Ben Erickson
