Lin-Manuel Miranda Responds to Theories About Eliza's Gasp at the End of 'Hamilton'

There are so many theories out there about the final moment in the musical Hamilton, which is now streaming on Disney+, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is sharing his thoughts on all the interpretations.

In the final song of the show, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton (Phillipa Soo) joins the rest of the cast to sing “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” She sings about wanting to keep her husband Alexander Hamilton’s legacy alive after his death. In the final moments of the show, Hamilton leads Eliza to the edge of the stage, she looks out into the audience, and then lets out a gasp as the lights fade away.

A fan on TikTok named Mallory Ellis explained her theory and said, “There are some debates about what this scene is about at the end. People don’t know understand what the ending means.” She then points at Lin on stage next to Phillipa in the final scene.

“So when he goes behind her, he’s no longer Alexander, he’s Lin. He takes Eliza’s hand, he lets her know it’s okay to go. That’s Lin, he’s playing himself. He’s guiding her to the top of the stage. She breaks the fourth wall. She sees that he told her story. BOOM. That’s why I cry guys,” she added.

Lin responded to Mallory‘s video on Twitter.

“It’s a lovely notion, (thank you @malloryannellis) but it breaks down the moment I’m not playing the role (how I wish you could see @JMunozActor or @JonRua, who also played Ham that first year!) The Gasp is The Gasp is The Gasp. I love all the interpretations. ❤️,” he said.

Lin told Wired, “I think it’s different for each Eliza. It’s heart-stopping, isn’t it? It traverses time in some way. Whether that thing she’s seeing is Hamilton, whether that thing she’s seeing is heaven, whether that thing she’s seeing is the world now. I think those are all valid and all fair. I do think she is seeing across a span of time in that moment.”

Make sure to also check out what Phillipa has said about the gasp!