Hamilton Magic of Miranda
Why do we love Hamilton? Statesman & History Music & Orchestration Poetry of the lyrics
Story of a Statesman The Origin Story of our Nation
Music
Why Hip-Hop & RAP? Miranda: What hip-hop allows me to do is add more lyrics per minute than any other musical going. Its capacity to pack information in a way that is dense but still understandable is incredibly useful. Quote from Miranda
Miranda: In hip-hop, you reward the unexpected rhyme. I m constantly threading the needle when writing Hamilton in terms of trying to satisfy a hip-hop ear and a musical theatre ear. There are nearly 24,000 words in Hamilton. More than many of Shakespeare s plays.
Is it only rap & hiphop? What is rap?
What s rap? Rhyme Rhythmic speech Street vernacular Usually over a backbeat or accompaniment History: Egyptian griot (praise song) to James Brown
Rap s Typical Subject Matter? Anti-establishment, anticonvention Cry for justice, equality, equity Sound and sense of rebellion, change A call to action!
Its Use in Hamilton? Creates moods Sets the tempos Moves the story along Vehicle for wit Builds emphasis through exaggeration
Funky Drummer by James Brown BUT THE DRUMMER WAS CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD Compare to ALL the rap especially My Shot
Alexander Hamilton MY SHOT
I am not throwing away my shot! I am not throwing away my shot! Hey yo, I m just like my country, I m young, scrappy and hungry, And I m not throwing away my shot! I m a get a scholarship to King s College I prob ly shouldn t brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish. The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish I gotta holler just to be heard. With every word, I drop knowledge! I m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of
Lyrics
What Literary Techniques Are used? Why is miranda considered a genius?
Powerful Poetry Some of the most densely packed, complex rhyming lyrics in the history of musicals
Miranda: Today s Shakespeare? *Nona Shepphard, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art *Oskar Eustis, artistic director at The Public Theater *Cass Morris, Academic Resource Manager, author
Shepphard: Shakespeare's audiences included highly educated men and women and the roughest of ill-educated apprentice boys. Like any writer, he wanted to enthrall his audience, not bore and mystify them. His stories and plots are lively, exciting and straightforward, the characters intensely interesting and vibrant, the situations immediately obvious and relevant to us.
Eustis Oskar Eustis explains how, like Shakespeare, Miranda took the language of the people and elevated it to art. Lin in Hamilton is doing exactly what Shakespeare did in his history plays. He s taking the voice of the common people, elevating it to poetry and by elevating it to poetry in Shakespeare s case iambic pentameter, in Lin s case, rap, rhyme, hip hop, r&b, rockabilly and by elevating it to poetry, ennobling the people themselves. He is bringing out what is noble about the common tongue. And that is something that nobody has done as effectively as Lin since Shakespeare.
Morris Hamilton is America s origin story. Miranda writes about the founding fathers in the language of the streets and makes those stories accessible to those who have previously felt disenfranchised--accessible to those who don t normally pay attention to Broadway.
Varied Modes Group chants Soliloquy Alternating speakers (dialog)
English Teacher s Dream Hundreds of the standard techniques
The Standard Techniques Alliteration Rhyme Repetition Onomatopoei a Clever Word Choice Imagery Metaphor Simile Personification Double Entendre
Alliteration and Cliche Right Hand Man
Washington: Now I m the model of a modern major general, The venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all Lining up to put me on a pedestal. Writin letters to relatives Embellishin my elegance and eloquence, But the elephant is in the room.
Rhyming Couplets Ten Dual Commandments --Sung by Full Company, Laurens, Hamilton, Lee, Burr
Number one! The challenge: demand satisfaction. If they apologize no need for further action. Number two! If they don t, grab a friend, that s your second. Your lieutenant when there s reckoning to be reckoned. Number three! Have your seconds meet face to face. Negotiate a peace... Or negotiate a time and place. This is commonplace, specially tween recruits. Most disputes die, and no one shoots.....
Repetition Wait for It!
Onomotopoeia I am not throwing away my shot! my heart went BOOM! Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain
Clever Word Choice You want a Revolution? I wanna revelation. Burr, I d rather be divisive than indecisive.
Clever Word Choice Burr, you disgust me. Oh, so you ve discussed me. I m a trust fund baby, you can trust me.
Metaphor By Hamilton in My Shot I m a diamond in the rough, a shining piece of coal
Simile By Angelica in Satisfied It s like Ben Franklin with the key and the kite You see it, right?
Personification By Burr & Hamilton in Nonstop Who s your defendant? The new US Constitution
Double Entendre By King George in You ll Be Back And no, don t change the subject cuz you re my favorite subject. My sweet, submissive subject, my loyal, royal subject
Several actors play one role in Act 1 and a totally different role in Act 2
Double Entendre (lexical ambiguity) Drinking buddies Mulligan, Lafayette become rival statesmen Madison, Jefferson We fought with him
Double Entendre (lexical ambiguity) Drinking buddy Laurens becomes son Philip in Act 2 Me? I died for him
English Teacher s Dream The characters have individual voices
George Washington Often anaphora, the repetition of beginnings, of words and sounds (alliteration, assonance) Also isocolon, parallel structure, in short, simple patterns
From Right-Hand Man by Washington We are outgunned Outmanned Outnumbered, outplanned
From Stay Alive There s only one way for us to win this. Provoke outrage, outright right) (That s Don t engage, strike by night Remain relentless till their troops take flight Outrun (Outrun) Outlast (Outlast) Hit em quick, get out fast (Chick-a-plao!) Stay alive till this horror show is past
Instruments to represent characters Hamilton: Percussion driving Washington: Wurlitzer majesty, steady, sustained
Angelica Schuyler All over the rhetorical map Repetition (words or sounds) at the beginning, middle, and end gives a racing bobbing affect Brilliant with an intense urgency
From Satisfied I remember that night, I just might Regret that night for the rest of my days I remember those soldier boys Tripping over themselves to win our praise I remember that dreamlike candlelight Like a dream that you can t quite place
But Alexander, I ll never forget the first Time I saw your face I have never been the same Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame And when you said Hi, I forgot my dang name Set my heart aflame, ev ry part aflame, this is not a game
Instruments to represent characters Hamilton: Percussion driving Washington: Wurlitzer - majesty Angelica: Cello & harp sophisticated
Eliza Schuyler Hamilton The Storyteller Parallelism Romanticism
From Helpless Then you walked in and my heart went BOOM! Tryin to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom Everybody s dancin an the band s top volume Grind to the rhythm as we wine and dine Grab my sister and whisper Yo, this one s mine
My sister made her way across the room to you And I got nervous thinkin What s she gonna do? She grabbed you by the arm, I m thinkin I m through, Then you look back at me and suddenly I m helpless! One week later Two weeks later
From That Would Be Enough Oh, let me be a part of the narrative From Burn I m erasing myself from the narrative From Who Lives, Who Dies Who Tells Your Story I put myself back in the narrative
Instruments to represent characters Hamilton: Percussion driving Washington: Wurlitzer - majesty Angelica: Cello & harp sophisticated Eliza: Violin & harp sweet & pure
Miranda s Literary Toolbox Huge! Varied Clever Cheesy?
We ll continue with music in a few weeks