| Abstract | In the early days of the formation of the United States of America as an independent country, during the 18th century, many historical figures still remembered today – such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison – rose to power. In those years, it was proven that a person of any background could succeed and stand alongside the greats if they had enough ambition and used it wisely. One of those people was Alexander Hamilton, who arrived to New York at age seventeen, after spending his childhood in the Caribbean, and rapidly rose in American society, first in the military and later in political circles. Although he never became president, the contributions he made to the American financial system as well as his work on the Constitution could rival the efforts of the most accomplished Founding Fathers. His life and work are staged in Lin-Manuel Mirandaʼs musical Hamilton: The American Musical (2015). The musical shows the period from 1776–1804 through the lens of Hamilton’s life, a view rarely taken as he is often referred to as the ‘forgotten’ Founding Father.
This graduation thesis examines the connection between historical events and their representation in Mirandaʼs musical. Special focus is on the most important relationships in Hamiltonʼs life. As a complex man, he had many friends as well as enemies, and those relationships all influenced the course of his life and even his death, which the musical portrays very well. Furthermore, those relationships greatly impacted the development of the young American nation and its future foundations. |
| Abstract (croatian) | U ranim danima formiranja Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, u osamnaestom stoljeću, mnoge povijesne ličnosti pamćene i danas, poput Georgea Washingtona, Thomasa Jeffersona ili Jamesa Madisona, ostavile su svoj trag. U to vrijeme, pokazalo se da osoba može uspjeti bez obzira na podrijetlo te stajati rame uz rame s velikanima, ako ima dovoljno ambicije i mudrosti da tu ambiciju iskoristi. Jedan od takvih ljudi bio je Alexander Hamilton, koji je u New York stigao sa sedamnaest godina nakon odrastanja na Karibima i brzo napredovao u američkom društvu, prvo kao dio vojske, a kasnije kao političar. Iako nikada nije postao predsjednik, doprinos koji je dao američkom financijskom sustavu, kao i njegov rad na Ustavu SAD-a, mogli bi konkurirati postignućima najznačajnijih Očeva osnivača države. Njegov život i rad prikazao je Lin-Manuel Miranda u mjuziklu nazvanom Hamilton: The American Musical (2015). Mjuzikl prikazuje vremensko razdoblje od 1776.–1804., kroz sferu života Alexandra Hamiltona. To gledište nije često prikazano s obzirom na to da se na njega često gleda kao na 'zaboravljenog' Oca osnivača.
Ovaj diplomski rad istražuje odnos povijesnih događanja i njihova prikaza u Mirandinom mjuziklu, pri čemu je fokus na najvažnijim odnosima u Hamiltonovom životu. Kao kompleksan čovjek, imao je mnogo neprijatelja, kao i prijatelja, i svi ti odnosi uvelike su utjecali na tijek njegova života, a u konačnici i smrti, što mjuzikl vrlo dobro prikazuje. Nadalje, ti odnosi imali su i veliki utjecaj na oblikovanje mlade nacije i njenih budućih temelja. |
