In honor of the Broadway play Hamilton’s 10 year anniversary and my estimated 200th watch of the movie, I decided to attempt to rank its characters.
For almost a decade, I’ve deemed it impossible to rank the characters of Hamilton. To me, it was equivalent to asking a parent if they have a favorite child and, like those parents, of course I do — but I couldn’t admit it.
Finally, I put a pencil to my temple, connected it to my brain and conjured a ranking up. I did, however, limit the list to only 10 characters, as there were a few who didn’t have large parts in the show.
1. Aaron Burr
Burr will never be the villain in my history. All he wanted was half as many opportunities as Alexander Hamilton was given, something he indirectly describes in “The Room Where It Happens.” He believes he deserves to be in that room, making those “top dog” decisions Hamilton gets every chance to make. You can see and hear his disdain for Hamilton ramp up as he repeats “I got to be in the room where it happens.” The way his relationship with Hamilton transformed from friends helping each other out to being the cause of each other’s demise is truly my Roman Empire.
Best song: “Wait for It”
Listening to “Wait for It” gives me a heart-pounding sense of euphoria. The song is delivered with such emotion and power, it’s beautiful to watch. I think this song shows exactly what made Burr hate Hamilton and what allowed Hamilton to make it as far as he did: his decisiveness. In contrast, Burr stayed quite neutral and cautious throughout his political career, waiting for opportunities to be given to him, which he details in this song. This self-comparison and Burr’s desire to be Hamilton’s equal breaks my heart.
2. George Washington
I would have George Washington tied with Burr if I could. Although his screen time was less than other major characters, every moment he had on screen was perfect. His introduction in “Right Hand Man” sets the tone for his character’s boldness and determination. He doesn’t take time to introduce himself by name— instead, he gets right into how much his troops are struggling and what they need, saying, “We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, out-planned.” His character’s grit is delivered perfectly in every one of his lines — it’s astounding.
Best song: “One Last Time”
On every watch, I look forward to this song. The comparison of his bold introduction to this emotional exit is just perfect. Him reassuring Hamilton that this is the right thing to do shows their close relationship in which Washington saw Hamilton as a son. His miniature monologue toward the end is incredibly satisfying to listen to as he sings over the words Hamilton is reading aloud. Finally, his repetition, “Say goodbye, one last time,” sounds like he doesn’t want to say goodbye, and will never fail to make me emotional.
3. Eliza Hamilton
Eliza deserves to have her story told and her spot as third. My heart breaks for her each time I rewatch the movie or listen to the soundtrack. She showed immense loyalty to Hamilton, something he can’t relate to (someone had to say it). Her character exudes a desire to be loved unconditionally. All she wanted was to “be enough” for Hamilton; for him to stay with her through her pregnancy, through his fighting, and through the defining of his legacy, which she repeats in several songs she’s featured in. Maybe I have her character ranked so high because I relate to her in this sense. With that being said, Eliza and I don’t deserve Hamilton’s behavior.
Best song: “Burn”
Do I even have to explain this one? Her anger and heartbreak in this song is the true definition of female rage, and that is all that needs to be said.
4. Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson provides a sense of comedic relief throughout the entire play, which boosts him up to fourth. His confusion and attitude is something Daveed Diggs displays so well. In response to Hamilton revealing hid affair in “We Know,” the intonation of his reaction and dragged out “Whaaaaat?” is one of the funniest moments in the play. Admittedly, I may have a bias toward him because of who my least favorite character is (to be revealed), but he is the funniest character and his annoyance toward Hamilton is hilarious.
Best song: “Washington on Your Side”
Although “What’d I Miss” is an iconic introduction for his character, “Washington on Your Side” truly shows how tired Jefferson ends up becoming of Hamilton. He takes their multiple frustrating interactions and uses them to create a plan that will stop Hamilton from furthering his political career. In his comedic-relief fashion, his confusion reaches a fourth-wall-breaking level as he looks to the audience when Burr comes into the song, which is hilarious. This song also brought us lyrics everyone knows and loves in which Jefferson realizes he needs to take Hamilton down or he’ll only keep climbing up the social ladder.
5. Angelica schuyler
In the first few years of my Hamilton obsession, I didn’t love Angelica Schuyler. I had thought her relationship with Hamilton was strange considering her sister was married to him. Now, I absolutely love her character. I think having a younger sister caused this change in me. Schuyler loved Hamilton and would write to him yet she never acted on it because she knew her sister loved him. She allowed her sister to be happy, even if it came at the risk of her own. Like Schuyler said in “The Reynolds Pamphlet,” I would choose my sister’s happiness over mine every time.
Best song: “Satisfied”
The performance of this song alone is enough to rank it highly on a list of Hamilton’s best songs. The production in the beginning of this song, her thoughts reeling, is fitting for its storytelling. The reflections Schuyler makes on the night of the Winter’s Ball are impeccable, as we see and hear the exact moment Eliza showed interest seconds after Schuyler set her eyes on Hamilton. The battle she’s fighting between her feelings towards Hamilton and towards Eliza are so complex to listen to, I feel like I’m having that battle myself.
6. Marquis de Lafayette
It’s America’s favorite fighting Frenchman! Lafayette also provides comedic relief in the first act of Hamilton. In “The Story of Tonight,” his drunken “Let’s have another round tonight” is such a fun scene to watch. Diggs does the exaggerated French accent so well, it brings me such joy. My favorite part of his character is one line he shares with Hamilton: “Immigrants, we get the job done,” accompanied by cheers from the crowd.
Best song: “Guns and Ships”
Are we shocked? His portion in “Guns and Ships” is one of the catchiest lines in the entire play and one of the fastest Broadway raps! Whenever I hear Burr introduce him, I have to warn everyone around me that it’s about to go down. Upon listening, I suddenly feel like I was the one who was “constantly confusing, confounding the British henchmen.” This has to be one of the best hype songs in the soundtrack.
7. John Laurens
Yes, I included a picture of him and Hamilton because I love the theories about them being secretly together. I loved his character’s goal throughout the play of creating “the first black battalion,” and my heart broke when he got his dad’s letter, informing Hamilton of his death and saying, “this dream dies with him.” Laurens’ screen time is lower than other characters’, but he is higher than our next character because of his loyalty to Hamilton (wink, wink). He chose to take Hamilton’s place in the duel with Charles Lee because, as Laurens says, “Alexander, you’re the closest friend I’ve got.”
Best song: “The Story of Tonight – Reprise”
I feel like his voice is most pronounced in this song compared to the others he is a part of. He sings comical lyrics about Hamilton “losing his freedom” now that he’s married. I love the moment where Burr joins them in celebrating Hamilton’s wedding and Laurens tries to butt into his business about a girl he’s seeing.
8. Hercules Mulligan
My favorite tailor, spying on the British government. From him making sex jokes that took me until late high school to understand to his brief spotlight in “Yorktown (The World Turned upside Down),” every moment Mulligan was on my screen, I knew I would let out a chuckle. Although his screen time is also limited, he made every second worth it.
Best song: “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)”
It might be my second time mentioning this song, but his part is what made the song iconic. I love his confidence in his sign off at the end of it saying, “I need no introduction, when you knock me down I get the f*ck back up again.” I think it sums up his character’s essence perfectly, considering his first few lines were sexual comments he seemed quite self-assured about.
9. King gEORGE
I refer to a few characters in this ranking as comedic relief, but King George takes the cake. He only appears around three times, which knocks him down the ranking a bit. However, when he performs, I love how he is the only one on stage most of the time. I also love the consistency in his songs, which all sound the same and all consist of hilarious lyrics.
Best song: “You’ll Be Back”
I remember learning this song in middle school and thinking it was the funniest thing on the planet. I love his taunting lyrics and exaggerated threats that he sings with a smile plastered on his face. This song almost makes it hard for me to take the real King George seriously because in my eyes, he’s just a guy who says things like “I’ll send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love.” How kind!
10. Alexander Hamilton
If I’m ever stopped on the street and asked to share a hot take, this would be it. When I watched the movie recently, it was with a friend who had never seen it and I couldn’t stop myself from groaning each time he mentioned his legacy that he prioritized above everything, including his wife and son. Revealing his affair to the entirety of colonial America for the sole purpose of protecting his legacy is appalling to me. I could go on for ages about how I perceive his selfishness and infidelity, but I can acknowledge that I understand some of his actions from a political standpoint (I guess).
Best song: “The World Was Wide Enough”
His solo just before his death summarized his journey perfectly — from where his story starts with his mother dying to where it left off before the duel, saying goodbye to Eliza. I loved the speed and intensity at which he sings his solo as the bullet travels toward him, signifying how terrified he is and how fast everything has moved in his life. Regardless, I think he was ready to join all of his loved ones who would be waiting for him: his mom, his son, and Washington. This performance was an amazing ending for his character.
In honor of having been able to rank all of these beloved characters, I’m going to go rewatch Hamilton and you should too! You can never go wrong with watching this Broadway definition of perfection. Maybe you can even attempt to rank these characters yourself, and good luck if you do!