The incredible Hamilton tells the story of the founding fathers of the USA, and more specifically the life of Alexander Hamilton. Two of the most dynamic characters in the show are sisters Eliza and Angelica Schuyler, who both happen to be in love with Alexander. They have a brilliant entrance at the start of the show, and while Angelica sacrifices almost everything for her sister, a lot happens to Eliza and her family including the death of her son and an affair that leaves both Alexander and Eliza’s reputations pretty much ruined.
When it comes down to it, the Schuyler sisters are there for each other, but who is the best character? Here are 5 reasons why Eliza is the best character, and 5 it’s Angelica.
Angelica: She Sacrifices Her Happiness For Eliza
The most pivotal thing that Angelica does in Hamilton is sacrifice her own happiness for Eliza. To quote the show, she’ll never be satisfied and she knows that she just has to live with that in order to prioritize Eliza and think realistically. She knows Alexander has no money and even though she loves him she needs to marry rich.
Eliza: She Continues Hamilton’s Legacy
After Hamilton dies in a duel between his political rival Aaron Burr, Eliza continues to do things to try and make the world a better place. In “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”, she goes on to explain that she started an orphanage. The show is about legacy and how your story is told after you’re gone, and this whole moment sets it up perfectly.
Angelica: Her Songs
From “The Schuyler Sisters” to “Satisfied”, Angelica has amazing songs to sing throughout the show. They’re very different to the ones Eliza performs, namely because she raps more and is very much a part of starting her own story and journey in song.
Her theme repeatedly comes in and ‘Satisfied’ is often repeated in different parts of the musical which signals her love for Alexander even though she is married but also symbolizes the fact that he will never be satisfied.
Eliza: She Forgives Hamilton
Hamilton is a pretty awful husband towards the end of the show. He has an affair with Maria Reynolds and decides to publicly tell everybody about it through the Reynolds Pamphlet. This ultimately changes their relationship forever, but after their son Phillip dies in a duel, she learns to forgive him so that they can get through their grief together.
Angelica: She Introduces Hamilton To Eliza
In some ways, Eliza starts the chain of events that happen through the show, firstly with introducing Eliza to Alexander. In “Helpless” she introduces Eliza to him, even though she is very much in love with him and is heartbroken by the fact that she doesn’t get to be with him instead.
Eliza: She’s A Badass
Eliza goes through a lot, she has to deal with the death of her son, the public humiliation that her family goes through from Hamilton’s release of the Reynolds pamphlet and his affair, and Hamilton’s death after his duel with Aaron Burr. The fact that she comes out of all of this still wanting to do good by Hamilton’s legacy is amazing in itself.
Angelica: She’s ALSO A Badass
The Schuyler Sisters is one of the best and most vibrant songs in the entire musical. In it, Angelica proves that she is an awesome character.
She’s not afraid to talk back and speak out for what she believes in, and she cares about her family more than anything in the world. She has a lot of great moments in the show.
Eliza: She’s The Heart Of The Musical
Everything circles back to Eliza throughout the show. She changes Hamilton’s life, and raises their son Phillip, who’s death brings together their relationship again. She suffers because of his actions and yet she seems to be the heart Essentially, Eliza Hamilton carries Alexander’s legacy after the duel that kills him.
Angelica: Her Sister Is Her Priority
From the beginning of the musical, Angelica prioritizes Eliza over anybody she meets. Everything she does is motivated by her wanting to make Eliza happy, including introducing her to Hamilton and continuously being there for her at the worst of times. Even though she loves Alexander, her sister comes first, and she proves that when the Reynolds Pamphlet is released and she comes to support her sister and shows him exactly that: that after everything, Eliza is what held things together.
Eliza: Her Songs
Eliza is one of the only characters who doesn’t really rap in the style that the rest of the musical is in. While there are fan theories online as to why that is, her songs in the show are the most delicate. ‘Helpless’ is one of the best examples of how different her character and style is. Whether that adds more layers to the show and her character, her songs definitely set her apart.
