Stream-of-Consciousness Thoughts on Hamilton

This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 8/10/20.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I recently watched Hamilton for the first time (thanks, Disney+!) and loved it. And due to the fact that I’ve been listening to the soundtrack on my runs (Non-Stop and Yorktown are the best for running IMO), I’ve had a lot of time to think about the story and the different themes presented throughout the play.  

Even if you haven’t seen Hamilton yet, you’ve likely heard about it. The cultural fascination with the play is truly amazing. It feels like it’s been at the forefront of culture ever since it debuted in January 2015.  

I knew I wanted to write about Hamilton (and one theme in particular) in a newsletter, but I wasn’t sure when I should do it. However, I figured that since Hamilton has been available on Disney+ for over a month now, today would be a great day for discussion. If you are a #Hamilfan (lol), I really hope you enjoy today’s discussion and would love your opinion on some of the thoughts/theories outlined below. 

If Hamilton isn’t your jam, today’s newsletter will likely not be for you (back to non-Hamilton programming next week!). Or, if you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, I would recommend skipping today’s newsletter, picking a time to treat yourself to 2 hours and 40 minutes of great entertainment via Disney+ and then circling back to this later.

For those of you who have seen Hamilton, I am sure you would agree with me that there are so many different elements of this play that one could focus on… the creativity, the music, the powerful idea of casting non-white actors as Founding Fathers and other historical figures. But for the purposes of today, I wanted to focus on the characters themselves. 

Quick disclaimer before we jump in: we know the play is based off of the biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. But I think it’s important to also note that while the play is based on historical events, it’s technically considered “fanfiction” as there are some assumptions made and some historical inaccuracies.  

Nonetheless, it is still a super powerful story with a lot of great lessons. The theme I want to focus on today comes from a quote I read recently from Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. In an interview, Miranda said that at its core, Hamilton is all about“telling the story of these flawed people who created a flawed country…with ideals worth chasing.” 

This quote really resonated with me. So many of the characters in Hamilton are so lovable, and yet also so flawed. And I thought this was actually a great reminder for ourselves: we all have great qualities and we all also have flaws. Same goes for the people we love: we are all in relationship with people who have great qualities… and who also have flaws. It’s what makes us all human. 🙂 

For example, let’s look at Alexander Hamilton (played by Lin-Manuel Miranda). Is he the good guy or the bad guy? 

• In interviews, Miranda says he was initially drawn to Hamilton because Hamilton was an immigrant. As an immigrant, Hamilton worked twice as hard as anyone else.
• His drive is admirable, but in my opinion, he can be a bit of a narcissist at times with his intense focus on legacy (The Reynolds Pamphlet!) and accomplishments.
• Throughout the whole play, Hamilton is obsessed with not throwing away his shot… to ultimately literally throw away his shot in his duel with Burr.  
• He also focused a lot on dying (Washington even has to remind him that “dying is easy, living is harder’‘). But I was impressed/inspired by how throughout the whole play, he kept asking himself, “Why am I still here? What am I supposed to be doing with this time? How can I be making this country better?”

Now, what about Aaron Burr (played by Leslie Odom, Jr.)? 

• Aren’t we supposed to easily not like villains? I found myself having such a soft spot for Burr and I think it’s because his crippling people-pleasing tendencies are so easy to relate to. 
• On paper, Burr and Hamilton are similar (both orphans, both lawyers, both questioning why they are alive when so many others have died). But the juxtaposition between them is brilliant and makes you wonder… which path is better?
  • Hamilton cares much more about the point he is delivering and couldn’t care less about how he comes across. Whereas Burr is obsessed with not upsetting anyone (“don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for”). 
  • Hamilton operates from more of a narcissistic place, whereas, everything Burr does is for someone else (graduates college because it is “his parents’ dying wish” and even yells “I will not make an orphan out of my daughter” in his duel with Hamilton). 
• Burr is so calculated and so precise (I am the one thing in life I can control! Wait for it… Wait for it…)… only to have his legacy overshadowed by one single moment. 

And then of course, there are the Schuyler sisters. 

• The dynamics between Eliza (played by Phillipa Soo) and Angelica (played by Renée Elise Goldsberry) also pose an interesting juxtaposition: on one end you have Angelica, who knows she will “never be satisfied,” and on the other end, you have Eliza, who is always encouraging others to “look around, look around” and realize “how lucky are we to be alive right now.” 
• Same question as above: which is better? 

If I could have dinner with one person from this era, I would pick Eliza Hamilton in an instant. From helping Hamilton draft political essays to raising a large family and overcoming the loss of a child and infidelity, I am fascinated with her story. And not only that, but she also outlived Hamilton by 50 years, protected his legacy, was a philanthropist and kept her family fed and housed on a budget.

There are a lot of theories as to why the play closes with Eliza gasping. The theory I liked is pretty meta: in realizing she’s on-stage, Eliza sees that her efforts to preserve her husband’s legacy were successful because centuries later, he is still being celebrated. After all, I think there is a reason the play is called “Hamilton” and not “Alexander Hamilton.” There would be no biography and no play without the work that Eliza did. 

I could go on and on about every character in the original cast. And they all deserve to be recognized. But in order to keep today’s newsletter to a tolerable amount, I’ll wrap up with a few final thoughts about the other characters: 

• It’s interesting how some characters inherently have more “swagger” than others. Why is George Washington (played by Chris Jackosn) first announced like a WWE wrestler whereas King George’s (Jonathan Groff) and Thomas Jefferson’s (Daveed Diggs) songs are purely comical? I think it’s because we are seeing everything through Hamilton’s eyes. This clear distinction helps the audience understand who Hamilton admired and who he thought was a joke. 
• Also, can we also talk about how talented Daveed Diggs is for being able to also play Marquis de Lafayette and rap in a French accent?! The talent of this cast just blew me away. 
• I absolutely love that the very talented Jasmine Cephas Jones (who portrays Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) and Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton) met at rehearsals and are now engaged!  

I can’t wait for the day that I actually get to see this play performed live, but until then, watching the filmed performance on Disney+ and listening to the soundtrack more than suffices. 

What do you think? Does the theme of “telling the story of flawed in a flawed country” resonate with you as well? Or, does one of the many other themes standout to you more? Would love to hear from you!

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