Favorite Hamilton Characters
I recently fell into the hell that is the Hamilton fandom, and I'm enjoying every bit of it. From pretending I can rap as well as Renee Elise Goldberry to performances in the bathroom of me singing 'Burn', I've fallen hard and I've fallen fast.
But among all of the characters in the acclaimed musical, of course I have my favorites. And since there's no way on earth I could ever rank all of them specifically, I've decided to choose only five. I've put into consideration my favorite characters, the Original Broadway Cast, and the way their different personalities and attitudes resonate with my own.
Honorable mentions, or the two characters whom I love dearly but are not on this list are Angelica Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton (I know, I know). While I love Angelica and Alexander, I love five other characters more. No hard feelings!
5. King George III
I'm such a sucker for funny villains. And King George is not an exception. I love his songs, love the sass, love the blinding personality that is King George III. There's always been something that just made me laugh whenever that piano intro came on, and George would come out singing his little interlude. A lot of people I know say that they dislike the King's solo songs, but I wholeheartedly disagree. King George breathes a different kind of life into the play. And I love him.
4. GEEEEEORGE WASHINGTON! ((I'm sorry I had to say it like that, it's just my favorite part to sing in Right Hand Man))
I LOVE GEORGE WASHINGTON. IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. If, in a group of friends, I see Eliza/Angelica as the Mom friend, then George Washington is the dad friend. Beyond Christopher Jackson's stellar singing voice and chops, I love George Washington for being able to keep calm, and his mindset towards people who have nothing good to say about him. ("Young man, I'm from Virginia, so shut your mouth"; "My name's been through a lot, I can take it!") And I can't help but wish that I could be as strong, and as willing to own up to my mistakes as George Washington.
3. Thomas Jefferson
Ohhh, what a surprise. I'm actually a huge fan of the damn fool that shot Alexander Hamilton. Let me explain. The first time I listened to the soundtrack, the first lines that clearly stood out to me were those lines - Talk less. Smile more.
Because that's what I do. That's my style. And that's how I suck up to people.
I'm known as a nice person. I'm always the neutral person, too, like I'm never going to outwardly be on your side unless I am one hundred percent sure that you're in the right. I smile a lot, and that's how I let people know they can trust me, because I am nice. I am always nice. And I will never let you know what's on my mind... unless you're one of my closest friends.
I'm someone who would rather stay silent and watch than be in the thick of things. Inactivity is my activity. That doesn't make me uninvolved, though. On the contrary, I can be very involved... just like Aaron Burr.
You see, I like Aaron Burr because never in my life have I ever related to a fictional character like I do with him. I see myself in Aaron Burr, and I know that that's a bad thing. Alexander Hamilton's words to Aaron Burr are basically things I should be telling myself, but I don't... and that's why I don't like Alexander as much, immature as it may seem.
The reason why Aaron Burr is my favorite character in Hamilton is because he is a reminder to myself of what I am, and what I shouldn't be. He is a constant, blaring reminder that I can't keep playing safe, that I should open up more about my beliefs and my thoughts on things. And those are basically the reasons why I love Aaron Burr. (Leslie Odom Jr. also has this lovely singing voice)
And those are my five favorite Hamilton characters! I honestly love this musical so much, and it's still going on and on in my head. Thus ends another post about one of my addictions... let's see what I write about next.
But among all of the characters in the acclaimed musical, of course I have my favorites. And since there's no way on earth I could ever rank all of them specifically, I've decided to choose only five. I've put into consideration my favorite characters, the Original Broadway Cast, and the way their different personalities and attitudes resonate with my own.
Honorable mentions, or the two characters whom I love dearly but are not on this list are Angelica Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton (I know, I know). While I love Angelica and Alexander, I love five other characters more. No hard feelings!
5. King George III
"They say George Washington's yielding his country and stepping away. Is that true? I wasn't aware that was something a person could do."
4. GEEEEEORGE WASHINGTON! ((I'm sorry I had to say it like that, it's just my favorite part to sing in Right Hand Man))
"I made every mistake, and felt the shame rise in me. And even now I lie awake, knowing history has it's eyes on me."
I LOVE GEORGE WASHINGTON. IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. If, in a group of friends, I see Eliza/Angelica as the Mom friend, then George Washington is the dad friend. Beyond Christopher Jackson's stellar singing voice and chops, I love George Washington for being able to keep calm, and his mindset towards people who have nothing good to say about him. ("Young man, I'm from Virginia, so shut your mouth"; "My name's been through a lot, I can take it!") And I can't help but wish that I could be as strong, and as willing to own up to my mistakes as George Washington.
3. Thomas Jefferson
"Well, someone oughta remind you, you're nothing without Washington behind you. (...) Daddy's calling."
I did not like Jefferson at first. I mean, who would? Always beating down on our main protagonist, acting as a foil and rival to Hamilton... as if Alexander didn't have enough to deal with. But as I got to listen more and more to the musical, I realized there was more to Jefferson that meets the eye. Or ear, technically. Jefferson is someone who genuinely cares for the people he serves, who genuinely thinks that Hamilton is the Bane Of His Existence, and will do more harm to the country than good. I can't help but admire the sass, the level of sass that spews out of his mouth, it just makes me laugh every time.
2. Elizabeth Schuyler
"I put myself back in the narrative... I stop wasting time on tears, I live another fifty years, it's not enough."
My sweet darling cinnamon roll of love and care and kindness, Elizabeth Schuyler. Ohhh my god I love her so much. Eliza has had my heart since 'Helpless'; listening to someone who could fall so hard, and so fast, and so genuinely actually made me feel happy for her. I followed her story with attentive eyes, Burn became my anthem, and to make a long story short, Eliza made me cry at four in the morning when she started singing 'Can I show you what I'm proudest of?' And when the company went 'The orphanage' that's when the tears started falling.
Many would argue that Eliza is not the one who suffers the most in the musical - Angelica is basically a martyr from Act 1, Maria Reynolds wasn't the villain in Act 2, and Philip definitely had more to live... but I believe Eliza suffers more. She is a wife who has her husband cheat on her, who lost her son, who lost her sister, and who eventually forgave her husband in the end, and I commend her for that. So much. She is loved by her sister, and loved by everyone around her, and I can't just wrap my head around the fact that Eliza is so strong, and so independent, and she gets through all of it.
1. Aaron Burr (Sir)
"Talk less. Smile more. Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for."
Because that's what I do. That's my style. And that's how I suck up to people.
I'm known as a nice person. I'm always the neutral person, too, like I'm never going to outwardly be on your side unless I am one hundred percent sure that you're in the right. I smile a lot, and that's how I let people know they can trust me, because I am nice. I am always nice. And I will never let you know what's on my mind... unless you're one of my closest friends.
I'm someone who would rather stay silent and watch than be in the thick of things. Inactivity is my activity. That doesn't make me uninvolved, though. On the contrary, I can be very involved... just like Aaron Burr.
You see, I like Aaron Burr because never in my life have I ever related to a fictional character like I do with him. I see myself in Aaron Burr, and I know that that's a bad thing. Alexander Hamilton's words to Aaron Burr are basically things I should be telling myself, but I don't... and that's why I don't like Alexander as much, immature as it may seem.
The reason why Aaron Burr is my favorite character in Hamilton is because he is a reminder to myself of what I am, and what I shouldn't be. He is a constant, blaring reminder that I can't keep playing safe, that I should open up more about my beliefs and my thoughts on things. And those are basically the reasons why I love Aaron Burr. (Leslie Odom Jr. also has this lovely singing voice)
And those are my five favorite Hamilton characters! I honestly love this musical so much, and it's still going on and on in my head. Thus ends another post about one of my addictions... let's see what I write about next.
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