Trigger warning ⚠️ suicide ⚠️
With Hamilton out now on Disney+ I’ve noticed something intresting about the show. Yes the show is incredible and I love it a lot, but I’m not here to talk about that. I want to talk about a theory that I’ve picked up after watching it. What if the duel between Ham/Burr was intentional. What if Hamilton used the duel as a way to commit suicide? Take a read if you’re interested in my thoughts on this
(This is all strictly about the musical not anything historical)
Even though the first “diagnosed” person with depression was a hundred years later, doesn’t mean he couldn’t have had depression. I note this because he’s not the most happy character. He worries about showing too much emotion in the beginning of the show (making friends), then over the course of the show becomes even more depressed as time went on. Not to mention his suicidal tendencies. In Hurricane, he stated “I couldn’t seem to die.” Twice at 12 and 17. When he was a soldier he blatantly said to washingdad “I’m more than willing to die.” In meet me inside. I believe his breaking point was when Phillip died. His relationships were in shambles, his job was falling apart since Washingdad left, and with the (undiagnosed but clear) depression it would’ve been easy for him to say welp this is it. Now why would he elaborate such a scheme to off himself? Why wouldn’t he just put his own pistol to his head? To protect the one and only thing he cared about most at the end of his life: His legacy. What would people remember more-that, or maybe a glorious duel where he wouldn’t even take the blame for. He would’ve had to choose a time between Phillip dying and the night before choosing burr to make his strategy.
Now for this to work, he would’ve had to succeed in his relationship with Burr, get him angry enough to duel, and to make sure he shot him. Well he did. And here’s how:
Over the course of his life/the show we’ve seen Burr change as a person. Growing from the shy, “talk less smile more” kid we met in the beginning to openly campaigning Burr near the course of the end. I’m not saying Hamilton thought about this when they first met, definitely not, but Hamilton was one of the greatest minds of his generation and he of course noticed his confidence growing. With that and their rocky relationship he would be the perfect candidate. He just needed him to get so angry that they would have to duel. Which is why he dangled the presidency like a carrot on a string above his head, and quickly took it away. He even instigated for a duel during their letters in obedient servant, therefore guaranteeing it.
Burr was all set, then came Eliza. She was interesting but overall not the hardest part of this plan. Suicidal people have a tendency to act like everything is okay when they aren’t. It’s used to not worry the people around them and to see if they would be okay without them. He saw how Eliza did without him after the Reynolds pamphlet and even after Philip died. And to act like things were back to normal, he still wrote the night before the duel even though Eliza was asking him to come back. Not going would be in character for him (aka not going to the summer house) but if he did go back to spend that one last night with her, she would’ve suspected something was wrong.
Now to make sure Burr would shoot him. He had motive, intention, and reason to win (his daughter), but he needed one last thing. This question was posed in the musical and is what sparked this theory to begin with. “They won’t teach you this in your classes, but look it up, Hamilton was wearing his glasses. Why?” Why indeed. Why would Alexander have a reason to wear his glasses during this duel without the intention of shooting him? Unless it was to make sure Burr did. As stated before Hamilton is a very smart man who would’ve known there was a chance of Burr not aiming for him because of their past and who he is. But by wearing them there would’ve been no hesitation from Burr because the intention of the glasses was to make it look like Hamilton would want to win.
Now that he went out heroically. His legacy was safe. Even protected by Eliza and Angelica. My final thoughts are as follows. An extremely intelligent man successfully finished his plan to end it without suspicion. But like Eliza, I do wonder what America would be like if he lived. What he would’ve done. But I shouldn’t be the one who tells his story. This is just a theory, A MUSICAL theory.
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