Scripted

So it’s pretty obvious that the show is infused with Alexander’s name - he’s the title character, he spells his name out to the world, people hail him, curse him, talk about him constantly… but the big exception to this is “Burn.” 

Here, Eliza outright refuses to acknowledge him. 

That’s the whole show, acknowledging Alexander, but Eliza stands up and says absolutely not - not after this. The narrative is about her too (all the women) and though her choice is to “[erase] myself from the narrative,” she’s not just going to give that space to the man who betrayed her. Eliza keeps the lyrics firmly in the second person and though everyone (the audience) knows who she’s talking about, it’s significant that she refuses to speak his name. 

Until the end. “It’s Quiet Uptown” has Alexander saying her name quite a bit - and the cast saying his - but Eliza is only just starting to forgive. Then in “Best of Wives and Best of Women” they’re back in bed together and the very first word she says is “Alexander.” 

And of course, in “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” when Eliza puts herself back into the narrative, she not only acknowledges Alexander but also the prestige and pervasiveness he’s always craved: “In their eyes I see you, Alexander.” She acknowledges him everywhere. 

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