Hamilton strives to take into account different perspectives of characters throughout the musical, this is exemplified by African Americans playing the roles of historically depicted white men, and Hamilton being an immigrant orphan. By doing so, the musical tells history through different lenses and shows how each group is resilient and overcomes their adversities. This comes with one exception: the Schuyler sisters. Unlike all of the other character’s in the show, Eliza and Angelica Schuyler are unable to write their way into history due to their gender. The idea of trying to establish one’s legacy through their perspective in history is an essential piece of Hamilton, and throughout the musical everyone tries to write their own legacies but end up being unsuccessful because as the viewer learns, you have no control in “who lives, who dies, who tells your story” (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Analyzing the point of view of the women in Hamilton is ironic because though they are unable to contribute significantly in comparison to the men, they are the ones who succeed in writing everyone else’s story. Examining this will allow the viewer to understand the importance of the female character in the musical.
Upholding the reputation of the Schuyler’s, both Angelica and Eliza are viewed as pegs in the social ladder for men to use to climb higher. The viewer’s first impression of them is as “rich folks” who love “going downtown and slummin’ it with the poor” (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Seen as stale, they are categorized as dim-witted, wealthy girls, waiting to be married off to a man to take care of them. However, this is not the case, both Eliza and Angelica have goals which they are striving to achieve, however they are often compromised due to their expected roles in society. For example, they are actively aware of the political climate and state, “We hold these truths to be self-evident/ That all men are created equal/ and when I meet Thomas Jefferson/ Unh!/ I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel!” (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Though they are pursuing roles of importance and influence in society, they are unable to because of their gender. Unlike Hamilton, who is discriminated against for being a “bastard, orphan, son of a whore” (Lin-Manuel Miranda), the Schuyler sisters are not able to forge their way into the story (history) even though Hamilton was. They are driven and passionate, and like everyone else want to leave their own legacies but are limited in what they can achieve because of their expected role.
Angelica is fiercely witty, her wordplay matches that of Alexander, which she acknowledges in “Satisfied”, “So this is what it feels like to match wits/ With someone at your level!”(Lin-Manuel Miranda) but because of her gender, she will never be able to hold a comparable place the way that Alexander is able to despite his adversities. The contrast stands that the women in the play are equally qualified as men, but will never receive the same opportunities because of their gender. Angelica is also adeptly socially aware, she understands her place in society and that she will have to make sacrifices to acquire what she wants. For example, upon first meeting with Alexander, she immediately recognizes she will not marry him because, “I’m a girl in a world in which/ My only job is to marry rich/ My father has no sons so I’m the one/ Who has to social climb for one” (Lin-Manuel Miranda). Though she is in love with Hamilton, she knows it isn’t realistic and cedes her love for Hamilton to Eliza because she knows the best her eloquence can get her is a wealthy husband, and Hamilton doesn’t fit that role.
Eliza represents her strength as a female character in her actions by erasing herself from the narrative when Hamilton publishes the Reynolds Pamphlet, “The world has no right to my heart/ The world has no place in our bed/ They don’t get to know what I said” (Lin-Manuel Miranda). By doing so, she chooses to leave some of her story unwritten, which is ironic because it becomes part of her legacy. …
Eliza and Angelica’s point of view is important to examine because it shows that they are unable to equally accomplish things, when one of the main messages in Hamilton is the idea of overcoming circumstances. Though it succeeds in doing this with other character’s, it leaves out women. This is ironic because the women were the ones who succeeded in writing everyone else’s story. When Eliza makes the choice to put herself back into the narrative she “interview(s) every soldier who fought by your side”, becomes an activist, “speaking out against slavery” and founds “the first private orphanage in New York City” whilst trying “to make sense of your thousands of pages of writing” (Lin-Manuel Miranda), in order to write Alexander’s story, in order to write this story. Though throughout their life in the play they are unable to make contributions the way the men are, in the end Eliza and Angelica are the ones who accomplish what none of the men could, they write their story.