In Hamilton, women are almost always complimented in terms of their kindness or their brilliance, not their looks, and men are definitely objectified more than women are.
Angelica is the “oldest and the wittiest”; Manuel avoids having her deemed the “prettiest”, or commenting on her beauty at all, despite how easy and obvious that rhyme would be. Angelica is well-spoken, agentic, and one of the best rappers in the show. These are the qualities that are said to make her desirable.
Eliza is described as trusting, kind, an abolitionist, the best of wives and women– never is she physically described. She exhibits sexual agency in “claiming” Hamilton, and the whole show is really a story about her learning to capture agency and self-confidence in all facets of her life.
Theodosia is never described. All we hear is how much Burr loves her. Same with Theodosia junior. Peggy is never described. Even vixen honeypot Maria Reynolds is barely objectified – she displays sexual agency in initiating sex with Hamilton, and there is no lurid review of her body or looks. All we know is that she is turned on – “her body’s saying hell yes” and that she exudes the exact kind of waifish “helpless” quality Ham goes for. All in all, very little salaciousness or objectification here.
And the men? Hamilton is described as having beautiful eyes and a “hunger-pang frame”. He swans around and flashes his ass to the audience in Nonstop in a playful, cheeky way. His attractiveness is discussed at some length by Angelica.
Similarly, his son Phillip is the subject of overt, flirty banter and consensual objectification. “God you’re a fox!”, etc. He states that women talk about his physical resemblance to his father (and his attractiveness). Women are shown excitedly consenting to casual sex with him, which they partially initiated. The interaction is warm and positive.
Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes. History obliterates. In every picture it paints, it paints me and all my mistakes. When Alexander aimed at the sky, he may have been the first one to die, but I’m the one who paid for it.
I really love that Eliza and Alexander parallel each other in the sense that Hamilton has a theme based around water (Hurricane) and Eliza has fire (Burn). I think it adds a lot of depth to their relationship…
