Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical live version of the Broadway musical so that masses could witness the magic.
It's a bit hard to rate the characters of Hamilton given that they were based on real people who had complex beliefs and personalities. With that in mind, this list aims at ranking the Hamilton characters based on how entertaining they are on stage and the entertainment value of their songs, not on the policies and ideas they upheld in the show or in real life.
Updated on December 21st, 2020 by Kristen Palamara: Hamilton is still an incredibly popular musical especially after a professionally recorded version of the original Broadway cast's performance was released on Disney+ ahead of its theater release schedule. Viewers have watched it multiple times since it's been added to the streaming service and the musical provides an emotional, funny, and dramatic viewing experience that's meant to introduce the real-life story without fully delving into the history or exactly who the characters were as a musical wouldn't be able to cover everything.
Charles Lee
Charles Lee is introduced as a silly character who is happy to be promoted to "a General, whee!" Hamilton continually mocks and hates him until eventually setting up a duel between Lee and his friend Laurens that ended with Lee being shot but surviving.
Washington was upset that the duel happened between two soldiers on the same side, but Lee had made some terrible decisions as a General and Hamilton felt he had to do something about it.
Maria Reynolds
Maria Reynolds, portrayed by Jasmine Cephas Jones who also portrays Peggy Schuyler, doesn't have much screentime and unfortunately only has her story told from Hamilton's point of view.
Hamilton claims that she seduced him and he couldn't "say no to this" and the affair caused him political and marital scandals he never fully recovered from. Jones is great in the role, but the Maria Reynolds character and storyline presented in Hamilton leaves a lot to be desired.
James Madison
James Madison doesn't have a big role in Hamilton and is pretty much identified as Thomas Jefferson's right-hand man throughout the second act of the musical.
He backs up everything Jefferson says and conspires with him and Aaron Burr to try to bring down Hamilton and helps Jefferson become elected President. Madison is mostly there for comedic effect and to play the straight man to Jefferson's exuberant character.
Peggy Schuyler
Peggy doesn't have a lot of time on stage especially compared to her two sisters Eliza and Angelica, but she's still become a fan-favorite despite her few lines in the first act.
Eliza and Angelica are more adventurous than Peggy and it shows in the song that introduces the Schuyler Sisters when her sisters introduce themselves wholeheartedly and she adds on her "and Peggy." Although she has little, Peggy's still a fun and comedic character.
George Washington
There is no denying that George Washington is one of the most important figures in American history; however, his legacy isn't the focus of Hamilton. While his character is important, he is not as entertaining as some of the other characters in the musical.
That being said, Washington does have some powerful and impactful moments while on stage. For instance, he has one of the most iconic lines of the musical, "Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder." He also echoes the statement "History has its eyes on you," with Eliza, Angelica, and Maria.
Philip Hamilton
Philip Hamilton is Eliza and Alexander's eldest son who turns out to be exactly like his father. He's shown growing up in the second act and is just as determined and prideful as Alexander is when he challenges a man, George Eacker, to a duel when he speaks badly of Alexander.
His father gives him advice before the duel and tells him to aim the dueling pistol in the air and any man of honor will do the same, but instead, Philip is killed in the duel and changes the course of his parents' lives.
Hercules Mulligan
Hercules Mulligan is perhaps, one of the most underrated characters in Hamilton. Mulligan is one of Alexander Hamilton's friends he makes after moving to the colonies. Like most of the young men in Hamilton, Mulligan is ready to go to war to earn the colonies their freedom. He takes things one step further and ends up becoming a spy who helps the colonies defeat the British.
While Hercules Mulligan doesn't have a song of his own, he does sing and raps on quite in quite a few numbers. Most notably he sings on "The Story of Tonight" and has his own verse in "Yorktown."
John Laurens
Most would agree that John Laurens deserved better in Hamilton. Part of what makes John Laurens such an amazing character is his personality. Laurens, like Hamilton, doesn't have much going for him in the wealth department and thus, he must make up for it with his personality. He's truly a ride-or-die friend who always has a smile on his face.
He's also one of the most good-natured characters in Hamilton and actively tries to recruit the first all-black military regiment, though it's not explored as much as it should be. John Laurens has a lot of great lines and sings quite a bit, but his role in "Ten Duel Commandments" is definitely a fan favorite.
Marquis de Lafayette
Aaron Burr says it best when he introduces Lafayette in "Guns and Ships" singing "Ev’ryone give it up for America’s favorite fighting Frenchman!" Lafayette is an entertaining character because he's always up to something. What's even more amazing is he manages to rap his line while keeping his French accent alive!
He and Hamilton end up bonding over the fact that they're both immigrants. In fact, the two singing one of Hamilton's most iconic lines together: "Immigrants! We get the job done." Daveed Diggs is phenomenal.
King George
King George might be the villain in Hamilton considering he tried to hold the colonies hostage but that doesn't mean he's not an entertaining character to watch. In fact, King George is the most hilarious character in Hamilton. He's dramatic and over-the-top and it definitely works in his favor.
Even when he's delivering the line "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love," one can't help but laugh at his hilarious personality and choreography.
