In 1797, Alexander Hamilton admitted to his one year affair with the much younger Maria Reynolds that had taken place eight years prior. It’s perhaps surprising – this was the 18th century, and she was a woman – but it’s true. She acted as a mediator between Alexander and his publisher for The Federalist Papers, and is reported to have helped him perfect Washington’s Farewell Address in 1796. What we don’t see in the show, is that Eliza aided Alexander hugely throughout his career. Hamilton: What Drove King George III Mad? By David Crow Sounds like the dream, right? Having your every move sprawled across the national press, and being constantly watched and judged, is the modern nightmare. Eliza managed to do this while maintaining her household throughout multiple moves to accommodate her husband’s career (yes, really – she did maintain her own household despite living in a very sexist and classist society), being at the forefront of American society, constantly attending dinners and having little to no private life. She mothered eight Hamilton children, as well as suffering a miscarriage in the wake of her youngest child falling ill.
In 1787, pregnant with their fourth child, Eliza took in Fanny Antill, the two year old daughter of Hamilton’s closest friend Colonel Edward Antill, who had recently lost her mother. All she wants is some love and affection from her husband, not even half the devotion he gives to his country, but still remains happy when he refuses her proposal.
#ELIZA SCHUYLER PARENTS FULL#
Remaining ever calm, Eliza pleads with her husband during ‘Take a Break’ rather than going full crazy mode on him (like we would…) for missing important milestones in his children’s lives. We begin to see the impact Alexander’s tenacious, legacy driven lifestyle is having on his family life. During this time, the real Eliza Hamilton was also assisting her husband in his political writings – much of the information laid out in the letters that would go on to be hugely influential in American Revolutionary history, were in her writing. She reiterates how the only thing important to her is that he remain alive and meet their son, and talks about how amazed she is by his accomplishments thus far. Pregnant, emotional and not having heard from or seen her husband in months, she still remains the rock when he breaks down. The next time we really see Eliza is during ‘That Would Be Enough’ where she sings to her husband upon his return from war. Through the lyrical genius of Lin Manuel-Miranda, Philipa Soo explores the true selflessness of Eliza during the song. Whereas her Alexander was born out of wedlock to an already married woman, Rachel Faucette, and a Scotsman that abandoned the family some years later. Her father Philip Schuyler was a Revolutionary War General, and her mother Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler was born into one of the richest and most influential families in New York. Not only does she sing about how she isn’t one to ‘grab the spotlight’, but she has no concerns with the fact her fiance is penniless, and that she would be settling for far less than the high society she was born into. Not only did she play a huge role in the show, but in American history.Įliza, then a Schuyler, is introduced with her sisters Angelica and Peggy in an early number before she takes centre stage during ‘Helpless’. It may take the story unfolding for us to realize that Eliza was, in fact, the real hero of Hamilton. Although he played such an important role in the Revolution and in forming the nation’s government, the show’s namesake – Hamilton – also plays homage to his wife, Eliza Hamilton. We presume the show is all about Alexander, as he is in nearly every scene. The long awaited recording of the global sensation is two hours and 40 minutes of pure magic – a beautiful retelling of the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. We can all woop King George III style now that Hamiltonis now available for the world to watch on Disney+.
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