I see people saying Hamilton is a Gryffindore like...you mean to tell me that you watched and ENTIRE MUSICAL about this man, who’s ENTIRE MOTIVATION FOR EVERYTHING is making a legacy? Did you see act II?
This man is ambitious as HECK. GEORGE WASHINGTON. AMERICA’S FOUNDING DADDY OFFERS HIM A JOB AND HAMILTON IS LIKE “that’s cool but could do better?” Yeah, the dude is obsessed with fighting, but he wants to die for glory and legacy, so people will remember him! He’s obsessed with who’s going to tell his story, what he’s leaving behind! He wants to do things!
The Reynolds pamphlet, AKA America’s first sex scandal, was because he wanted to defend his legacy. Sure, tank his personal life, possibly break his marriage, but he won’t be accused of embezzlement because it would damage his LEGACY. He endorses Jefferson, knowing that they agree on exactly nothing, but he admires Jefferson’s strong beliefs and convictions. What’s his problem with Aaron Burr? He doesn’t believe in anything. He has ambition but can’t act on it, which to someone like Alexander who’s spent his entire life seizing every opportunity to prove himself, can’t understand.
What’s Hamilton’s first line in the whole damn musical? My name is Alexander Hamilton, and there’s a million things I haven’t done. BUT JUST YOU WAIT. He’s not throwing away his shot. He’ll straight up deck the guy that doesn’t believe he can graduate in two years.
In “Meet Me Inside”, Washington is telling Hamilton that he doesn’t need defending, but Hamilton tells him “I don’t have your name I don’t have your titles, I don’t have your land”. He wasn’t even defending Washington’s honor for Washington’s sake, not entirely! He was worried about how dragging Washington’s name through the mud would make HIM look. He asks for a command, so he could either “fly above his station” after the war or die on the battlefield in glory, because EITHER WAY, people will remember him and THAT’S what he cares about.
He goes home, Eliza says “look at where you are, look at where you started. The fact that you’re alive is a miracle. Stay alive, that would be enough” and our boy Alex says “NO THE HECK IT AIN’T!” and jumps on the first chance to get himself killed again. He’s come so far and the only thing he can think is how much further he can go, obsessed with rising above his station. Eliza’s telling him that being himself is enough and Alex looks at her like “doEs nOt ComPuTe?” because he needs MORE.
“God help and forgive me I wanna build something that’s gonna outlive me”
He definitely has his own sense of honor and code of ethics “If you stand for nothing, Burr what will you fall for?” He feels that he needs to stand up for his beliefs and back them up.
He wants to create and change the nation and be an important person. He’s smart, and crafty, and manages to work his way from bastard orphan son of a whore to Washington’s right hand man. He comes up with a financial plan, and manages to get Jefferson and Madison on his side by trading away the nation’s capital, moving it down south in a deal that no one else witnessed---somewhat sketchy, and totally Slytherin move.
There’s not a single action taken by Alexander Hamilton in this entire musical that can’t be traced back to either cunning or ambition, the key traits of Slytherin house thank you for coming to my tedtalk.
