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>I am My Dear Marquis with the truest affection Yr. Most Obedt

What does Obedt mean here? Was Hamilton really literally a servant?




No - it's just a very polite/formal way of singing a letter to royalty/gentry. Like "Yours sincerely" turned up to 11.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yr-mO1o1uHk

A relevant song from the Broadway show


No more than saying "yours truly" means you are literally that person's property. A more modern phrasing of the same sentiment might go something like "happy to be of service, as always".


https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/362307/where-did... has some examples, including a case where a letter ending "your obedient servant" got a reply from "your humble servant." It's a style, a formal way of showing respect through humility, not meant to be taken literally.


Obedient.




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