If Hamilton Were a House
I am super excited for this post because I am finally combining my two favorite things: Harry Potter and Hamilton. And, as a literary analyst, I am combining them in the best way I know how:
If Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were sorted into Hogwarts Houses, what Houses would they be in?
There is no doubt in my mind that Alexander Hamilton would be sorted into Gryffindor and Aaron Burr would be sorted into Slytherin.
No, Burr is not a Slytherin because he is evil and fatally shot Hamilton, and no, Hamilton is not a Gryffindor because he is the good and brave war hero and martyr. Simply stated, Alexander Hamilton is a Gryffindor because he recklessly does what he strongly believes in while Aaron Burr is a Slytherin because of his drive to protect what is most important to him and very meticulous way of going about it. There are four songs that best represent this idea: “Aaron Burr, Sir”, “Wait For It”, “The Room Where It Happens”, and “The Election of 1800.”
“Aaron Burr, Sir” Loosely defined, Gryffindors have strong opinions and will be as in-your-face as they can in order to make sure that their beliefs are known to everyone around them. Slytherins, on the other hand, are very protective of what they hold closest to them and are very calm and calculated in how they choose to act (if they even choose to act at all). That is precisely why Hamilton impulsively “may have punched [the bursar], it’s a blur, sir” over a simple disagreement of opinion while Burr stands by the idea that in order to get ahead, you need to “talk less, smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.”
Hamilton, of course, is bewildered by what Burr says. He has always been a bull in a china shop, always reacting first and thinking later, and so he can’t even begin to comprehend what life would be like if he simply just stood by and did nothing. Because that is the most important part: working for the cause he believes in. “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?”
But that’s the thing – Burr doesn’t want to fall. Falling is the worst-case scenario, for to him, status and reputation are so much more important than having something to stand for. Thus, he does the only thing that will guarantee both not falling and continuing to (slowly but surely) “get ahead” and does nothing at all.
For the time being, at least.
“Wait For It” While Gryffindors are out there going and doing, Slytherins stand by what is theirs, or what they believe is destined to become theirs. No matter what happens, whether that’s falling for a married woman, losing his parents, or watching as Hamilton continues to rise above him, Burr is always “willing to wait for it,” “it” being the comeuppance he so fiercely deserves. He continues to protect his girlfriend, his parents’ legacy, and his place within George Washington’s militia because they are his, and the number one priority is to always protect what is yours. And then, you “wait for it,” because “if there’s a reason [Burr is] still alive when so many have died,” then that reason will always come to those who wait.
Hamilton, on the other hand, doesn’t “wait for it.” He “doesn’t hesitate,” he “takes and he takes and he takes and he keeps winning anyway," changing the game by going out there and doing rather than just waiting. Hamilton does everything in the complete opposite way from how Burr thinks things should be done, and Burr is just baffled that it works. However, he continues to “wait for it,” because that is what he knows and understands to be the best way of continuing to protect what is his.
For the time being, at least.
“The Room Where It Happens” What drives a Gryffindor is their need to do what they believe is right, while a Slytherin is motivated by their need to protect what they have and to get what they deserve. Though Burr can be extremely arrogant, sometimes even more so than Hamilton, he is also very self-conscious. He doesn’t feel as though he fits in with his fellow politicians unless he is there in the thick of things with them, and thus, he wants to be “in the room where it happens.” Being absent, not invited, or just not allowed to attend these important events due to his status angers Burr, because not only does he feel excluded, he also feels like that opportunity he has been so diligently waiting for is being unjustly taken away from him.
Hamilton’s advice on this matter just about rocks Burr’s world: “When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game, but you don’t get a win unless you play in the game.” If Burr goes and gets the opportunity rather than just waiting for the opportunity to come to him, he might “get love for it”, he might “get hate for it”, but in the end, he will actually get something. The question “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” has finally been answered: Burr stands for his place in the status quo, and he finally understands what it means to have something to fight for.
“The Election of 1800” Finally, it is the moment we have all been waiting for – well, not the moment that will inevitably end the story (and Hamilton’s life), but the election to determine the country’s third president.
Due to the destruction of his reputation and the recent loss of his son, Hamilton is not running in this election, but still being a respected member of the political community, he has an important decision to make: who to endorse for presidency. And, as many of the members of the Federalist party don’t support their leading candidate John Adams, they look to Hamilton for advice on which of the two Democratic-Republican candidates they should vote for, Thomas Jefferson or Aaron Burr. And, despite the fact that they don’t get along and are in opposition on every belief and ideal in existence, the endorsement goes to Jefferson.
While he may be political enemies with Jefferson, Hamilton recognizes that he at least has something he is willing to stand for, has a direction that he will lead the country in, and as the Gryffindor who is willing to die (literally) for the cause, that alone takes precedence above everything else. He at least “has beliefs” while “Burr has none.” Burr may have learned how to fight for and go after what he wants, but he still prioritizes simply having power over having something to use that power for. He has learned how to fight, but like the Slytherin he is, as long as he’s at the top, Burr doesn’t care about having something to fight for - or rather, as has been foreseen, to fall for.
In essence, Hamilton’s definition of “getting ahead” means being able to further your ideals and leave behind a legacy that will steer others in the right direction, and Burr believes that getting ahead is just that – getting ahead. The Gryffindor will fight to the death (literally) in order to spread his message, to leave his legacy, and the Slytherin will die protecting, defending, and trying to dominate what they believe is (or should be) rightfully theirs.