Precious Time – Hamilton

  In the final song of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, titled “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?,” Eliza wonders who creates a legacy and the importance of talking about the deceased long after they are gone. This final scene/song explores time as a measured and limited quantity that we can so quickly run out of, so we must use it to the best of our abilities. Once we run out of it, it is gone for us. Others can use their own precious time to us live out our legacies, but we don’t have any of our own time to use anymore.
 Eliza wonders what Hamilton himself, and consequently those around him,
“would you do if you had more––time?” (281). With this, we are reminded that our actions, hopes, and dreams are usually left unfinished. We must do our best to act in the moment so we can help and serve those around us. This gets into the idea of regrets. She clearly has regrets and sadness for what Hamilton didn’t get to do, as she goes on to say: “You could have done so much more if you only had––time” (281). However, she creates a strong legacy for him by working towards his hopes and dreams for him. Because of her actions in his memory, both of their names will live on for centuries to come. It is through remembrance that one stays alive long after their physical departure from this world.
 She also wonders what we all will likely wonder at the end of our days: “And when my time is up, have I done enough?” (281). The idea of looking back at life and feeling either satisfied or dissatisfied is one way to determine the goodness of a life. Aristotle talks frequently about this form of living. He believes that our actions during life are all about achieving the end goal of happiness. He believes that when we look back at our lives, we should be pleased with how we ran the race. The goodness or happiness of an action is measured through the idea that it will bring about a good or happy end. Eliza seems to believe in this teleological form of ethics because she seems to act and live in a way that the ends justify the means. While even her own life is difficult, she does her best to help other people through their difficulties by helping them find safety, security, and comfort.

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