STORY ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

Name: Raissa Shaine Y Dumagan

Grade & Section: 9B

Title of the Story: Alexander Hamilton

Gist / Summary of the Story: The musical follows the journey of an orphaned legacy, Alexander
Hamilton. The story tells how he rose from the top and crashed to the bottom. It follows the
complexities of his journey and his hardships, the twists of his love life to the undulation of his
friendships; wherein he gets shot by his first friend, and his first enemy.

Characterization:

Characters
Protagonist: Alexander
Hamilton
Antagonist: Aaron Burr,
Thomas Jefferson
Description
Alexander Hamilton is the main protagonist of the musical. It is
his journey from the ‘bottom’ to the ‘top’ of the revolution to the
senate; and even the vice-versa wherein he falls. He is an
impulsive, rash, scrappy, young, hungry, very strong-willed and
minded man. His writing revolutionizes the financial system of
their nation whilst maintaining the independence that they so
longed for when they fought for it against the British. In the end, he
dies in a duel against Burr; where he decided not to shoot.
Aaron Burr is the ‘antagonist’ of the musical (I say antagonist
with quote marks because I don’t see him as a main antagonist of
the story; rather a misunderstood individual whose personality is
complex and is highly appreciated in my terms.). He is described as
a patient man who would rather ‘sit in the sides’ rather than ‘taking
a stand’. He is one of the first people Hamilton meets on the docks
of America, and is described to be one of his first friends. With the
rise of Hamilton’s career, Burr grows tired of waiting, and instead
is filled with jealousy and rage. Said rage begins to encompass
when Hamilton decides to endorse his long-time rival, Thomas
Jefferson, instead of Burr in a presidential run. You may notice the
fact that Burr always introduces Hamilton in almost every, if not
all, songs. This signifies the fact that Burr was a ‘supporting
character’ to Hamilton when Burr’s career stagnates while
Hamilton rises even faster; this makes Burr tired of Hamilton.

Thomas Jefferson is Hamilton’s rival, and may even be

Primary: George
Washington, Elizabeth
Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler,
John Laurens, Marquis de
Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan
considered a minor antagonist in the second act. In which Hamilton
endorses him instead of Aaron Burr. He disagrees with Hamilton
on numerous occasions; in which he even tries to dismantle the
financial proposal that Hamilton was ever-so passionate about. He
is described to be an arrogant individual, wherein he brags about
the victory of a revolution he took no part in; and participates in
slavery.
George Washington assigned Hamilton to be his right hand man
in the American Revolution. He is the leader of the American
Revolution and the first President of the United States. He is
somewhat described, or referred to as, the father figure- or mentor,
of Hamilton.

Secondary: James Madison,
Philip Hamilton, Maria
Reynolds, Charles Lee.
Samuel Seabury, King
George III, Peggy Schuyler,
George Eacker
Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Schuyler is the main love interest of Hamilton.
She is described to be reserved, kind, and understanding. She is
rather the soft character; which in a later song, “Burn”, is highly
contrasted from the personality we see in the first act. In the end,
she decides to forgive Hamilton, and resolves to stay by his side
when their only child, Philip Hamilton, dies. She also is the person
to ‘tell his story’; and even establishes the first private orphanage
in New York City- which reminds her of Hamilton’s eyes.
Angelica Schuyler is the other love interest of Hamilton. She also
falls in love with Hamilton during the Winter Ball alongside Eliza,
but decides to oblige to her family’s duties to marry someone of
wealth. She is described to be the extroverted among the sisters,
she knows of the insidious gossip of New York City. She is the
oldest Schuyler sister. and is also described to be witty; as she
characterizes herself as this in her song, “Satisfied”.
John Laurens is Hamilton’s best friend. When he dies during the
near-end of the revolution, he is described to be the one who helped
end slavery in the South and the one who lead a battalion. He is
also the man who duels against Charles Lee instead of Hamilton,
when Washington didn’t want to aggravate allies.
Marquis de Lafayette is one of the four people Hamilton met
when he first arrived in the docks of New York, when Hamilton
was accompanied by Burr. Lafayette was the one to ask for french
aid with guns and ships to help in the American Revolution. By the
end of which, he returns to France.
Hercules Mulligan is described to be the ‘insider’ or ‘spy’ that
helped Hamilton strategize for the war. He helps pass on
confidential information to Hamilton and ultimately helps in the
victory of the Battle in Yorktown.
James Madison firstly helps Hamilton write the federalist papers,
where he contributes 29 essays. He later on decides to bring
Hamilton down at the later part of the act.
Philip Hamilton is Eliza’s and Alexander Hamilton’s eldest son.
His first appearance on the play was when he was a fist borne, then
later on learned the piano and french alongside his mother. He is a
self-proclaimed poem that dies in favor of his father’s honor.
Maria Reynolds had a month-long affair with Hamilton. She is
described to be seductive, she was also mistreated by her husband.
This affair largely contributed to the fall of Hamilton’s career.
Charles Lee is a general whom George Washington preferred over
Hamilton in leading a post, or a group of soldiers. He ultimately
leads to the numerous deaths of soldiers, and that enrages
Hamilton, this leads to the duel between Lee and Laurens. Lee
becomes injured after the shoot-out.
Samuel Seabury is a man who voices out his opinion on rebels
and encourages the entourage to join the side of the British;

Dynamic: Aaron Burr,
Elizabeth Schuyler, James
Madison
Static: Maria Reynolds,
Charles Lee, John Laurens,
Marquis de Lafayette,
Hercules Mulligan, King
George III, Samuel Seabury,
Peggy Schuyler, George
Eacker, Philip Hamilton
describing the ‘game’ to be a dangerous one.
King George III is the king of the British, in which the American
Revolution was revolting against. His personality wildly contrasts
the messages he tries to convey in his songs. He seems to be a
charismatic yet cold hearted person, who won’t mind sending a
whole battalion to kill.
Peggy Schuyler is the third amongst the Schuyler sisters. Her
relationship with Hamilton is highly platonic- with no romantic
interest at all, and instead serves as his ‘confidante’.
George Eacker is a man who disagrees with the ideas of Hamilton,
and chooses to vocalize said argument. Philip Hamilton hears of
his speech and, out of impulse, chooses to duel with him. By the
count of seven, Eacker chooses to shoot, which kills Philip
Hamilton.
Aaron Burr was Hamilton’s first confidante, the first person
Hamilton considered as a first friend. Burr was also the first person
to offer Hamilton advice. Later on in the musical, his patience turns
into jealousy and rashness. He decides to shoot Hamilton in the
end, and immediately regrets the rash decision; wherein he
ultimately decides that ‘the world was wide enough for both
Hamilton and me’.
Elizabeth Schuyler is Hamilton’s wife. She has always viewed
him with rose-tinted glasses. She felt betrayed and used for when
Hamilton partook an affair with a Ms. Maria Reynolds. She decides
to ‘erase’ herself from the narrative; to burn her ties with Hamilton.
After such time, she decides to forgive Hamilton after the death of
their only child. When Hamilton dies, she decides to ‘put herself
back in the narrative’ and ultimately is the reason why Hamilton’s
story is being told.
James Madison used to be one of the three people, alongside
Hamilton, who wrote essays for the Federalist papers. He decides
later in the musical to support the fall of Hamilton’s career with
Jefferson.
Maria Reynolds stays as the person whom Hamilton had an affair
with; her character never changes and it never expands.
Charles Lee stays as the general whom Hamilton disagrees with,
and who Laurens duels with.
John Laurens’ character never changes, along with Marquis
Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan, they have always been
described as Hamilton’s first friends.
Samuel Seabury will always be described as that one annoying
person outside the pub.
King George III’s character never changes throughout the story.
He always will be described as this sadistic king who would do
anything for power.
 Peggy Schuyler is described to be the least vocal amongst the
sisters. Her character wasn’t given that much spotlight, and she
didn’t change at all.

George Eacker will always be the character who kills Philip

Hamilton. He did not show remorse or grief.

Philip Hamilton is the eldest son of Eliza and Alexander. His

character never changes; he grows up idolizing his father, and dies
defending his honor.

Setting:

Descriptive Details
Time ‘Hamilton’ took place around the years 1776-1804.
Place It took place in the Cities of New York, and in some times,
Manhattan.
Tone It’s tone may be described as patriotic, and nationalistic; hopeful as
well.
Mood The mood may be depicted as inspirational and lyrical.

Order of Events:

Chronological Most of the musical follows the chronological order of events.

Telling the story as how it happens.
Foreshadowing There are a few lines in songs that foreshadows events in the later
musical. ‘Hamilton’ is keen on detailed writing, and so we may
find numerous subtle foreshadows present in the lines of songs.
Notable mentions are of follows:
“You will never be satisfied.” [Angelica to Hamilton, this
foreshadows Hamilton’s affair]
“Stay alive” [Addressed to both Hamilton and Laurens, they both
perish by the end of the musical]
“I will not throw away my shot.” [Hamilton to himself, he decides
to ‘throw away his shot’ when he chose to raise his gun at the
near-end of the musical, where he lets Burr shoot him]
“God, I wish there was a war. Then we could prove we’re worth
more than anyone bargained for.” [Hamilton to Burr, they become
one of the most important influences towards the American
Revolution]
“Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead.
Ay,yo,yo,yo,yo,yo.” [Burr to the group of four people (Hamilton,
Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan), this foreshadows the future
misunderstanding that Hamilton and Burr would have. In which it
would lead to Hamilton’s death. You may also notice that Laurens
‘runs his mouth’ first, and he eventually dies first amongst the
four.]
“I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory
When's it gonna get me?
In my sleep, seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it comin', do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?” [Hamilton to himself, this
predicts his last soliloquy; where he eventually says the same
things, with a beat and no melody.]
 “I’m about to change your life.” [Angelica to Hamilton, this line is
sung when Angelica introduces Eliza to Hamilton; wherein Eliza
plays a large role in Hamilton’s life. The introduction of Eliza to
Hamilton changed his life drastically.]
“I may not live to see our glory.” [Laurens to himself, he, in-fact,
didn’t live long enough to see the glory of their hard work.]
Flashback The most notable flashback is the song “Satisfied”. Wherein
Angelica told her end of first meeting Hamilton by ‘rewinding’ the
happenings, and singing about what she felt during the time. At the
end of the song, she goes back to present time, and congratulates
the newlyweds.

Plot:

Details
Exposition The musical begins with the arrival of Hamilton on the docks of
New York City, from the Carribean. He asks of Aaron Burr, where
he meets him after punching the bursar. Burr then invites him to a
drink, where Hamilton meets his first group of friends, Laurens,
Lafayette, and Mulligan. They then begin talking to each other, and
they decide to revolt and start a revolution for their freedom,
independence, and glory. They join the revolution, The Schuyler
sisters are then introduced in the musical. Burr flirts with Angelica,
but gets rejected. Angelica emphasizes her ideals on gender
equality and how she would talk to Thomas Jefferson to ‘include
women in the sequel’. They join the Winter’s Ball, where
Hamilton meets the Schuyler sisters. Both Eliza and Angelica fall
in love with him at first sight. Angelica introduces Eliza to
Hamilton, leaving her heart distraught, saying that both she and
Hamilton will ‘never be satisfied’. Eliza ends up marrying
Hamilton. Burr’s first song, “Wait for It”, happens after the
wedding. Washington appoints Hamilton as his right-hand-man,
and this stays the same for the entirety of the musical. Hamilton
then meets an aggravating general, Charles Lee, who led numerous
men to their death. Hamilton and Laurens agree for the latter to
duel Lee, after a disagreement.
Rising Action Charles Lee ends up getting injured after the duel. This enrages
Washington. Washington tells Hamilton to ‘meet him inside’,
where Washington explains that he shouldn’t do anything rash,
because it isn’t smart to do so. This ends with the both of them in a
heated argument about honor and Washington’s name, and
Washington orders Hamilton to go back home; to Eliza. When
Hamilton reaches home, we see Eliza’s appearance once again;
except with a gift- a gift of life. Eliza tells Hamilton that she bears
his child, and that she would love for him to stay with her. She
constantly tells him to ‘look around’ and to practically be
‘satisfied’ for what the both of them already have. Lafayette asks
for French aid with guns and ships for them to win the war. He
ends up getting the aid he asks for, and even convinces Washington
to send a letter to Hamilton, inviting him back to the revolution,
and asking for his strategic mind to once again plan for the way.
Hamilton stays near Eliza for a short while, but when Washington
and Lafayette ask for his help in the war, he goes back to fighting;
and this leads Eliza to thinking that a peaceful life, or them as a
 family, isn’t enough for Hamilton. This leads to Washington
talking to Hamilton about his first battalion, and how regretful he is
of his past decisions. Washington puts emphasis on how ‘history
has its eyes on him’. He then gives advice to Hamilton, where he
says that he has no control whatsoever on what happens to his
name in the eyes of others. Washington tells Hamilton to be wary
of his actions, for this may be written in history books. The
dynamic duo, Lafayette and Hamilton, is back; and they’re ready to
fight. They form a plan wherein the four of them are divided,
taking control of different sectors. Hamilton manages to form this
out of Mulligan's information, and after a week of fighting, a
soldier from the opposing side waved a white flag, After they
discuss the terms of agreement, they ultimately win the war.. They
began to sing ‘the world turned upside down’, after this, King
George III returned. King George talks about how he is now in hot
waters with the American allies, and how they are now on their
own. This leads to Lafayette going back home to France, and both
Burr and Hamilton meeting their first-borns. This marks the start of
Hamilton’s political fight in the congress, and the introduction of a
new antagonist, Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton decides to write the
Federalist Papers anonymously, along with two other people, and
ends up writing 51 essays. Amongst all this, Burr is jealous of
Hamilton’s fast rise to the top; disgusted at how they started at the
same time, and how his climb to the top is ‘non-stop’. Thomas
Jefferson and Hamilton end up in a heated argument about the
financial state of the nation, whether they would uphold debt
towards the whole nation or otherwise. Hamilton insults Jefferson
during a heated debate, and Washington pulls him aside, telling
him to be composed. During a long day's night, Eliza asks
Hamilton to take a break, with Angelica (as Angelica visits for
them to spend time together as a family), and Hamilton declines
because he has ‘tons of work to do’. He then meets a Ms. Maria
Reynolds. Hamilton is seduced by her and spends a month having
an affair with her. Mr. Reynolds asks for a check for his wife’s
‘misduties’, and so that he wouldn’t tell anyone else. Hamilton is
distraught and pays the checks in separate amounts to a John
Reynolds. Hamilton then asks Jefferson to arrange a meeting with
both of them and Madison, to discuss something. The topic is left
unknown, and Burr is there wondering what they talked about. Burr
ends up winning the Senate’s run against Eliza Hamilton’s father.
Jefferson and Hamilton debate whether or not to aid French allies.
George Washington also decides to resign the presidential seat.
Climax Jefferson and Madison then find out about the checks that
Hamilton has been sending to a mysterious individual, a man
named John Reynolds, and try to throw Hamilton off, assuming he
did illegal activities, as an attempt to bring him down. Hamilton
ends up proving his innocence by admitting to his affair, and begs
Jefferson and Madison to keep it a secret; they didn’t. A
widespread ‘Reynolds Pamphlet’ is then introduced to the mass.
The population is in shock, and is distraught. The most distraught
of the bunch are both Angelica Schuyler and Eliza Hamilton.
Angelica is deeply disappointed in Hamilton, and Eliza burns all
past letters that Hamilton wrote to her, while singing an ode. After
this, Philip Hamilton overhears a speech by George Eacker, and out
of emotion and rashness, he asks for a duel. Hamilton advises
 Philip to resign the duel by aiming at the sky, and for him to take
his father’s pistols. They meet at a river in New Jersey, and they
appoint a doctor nearby for possible injuries. None of them
coincided, the duel continued. George Eacker shot his shot before
the count of ten, and Philip Hamilton dies in his mothers arms.
Eliza Hamilton talks to Philip like how she did when he was still a
child; they would talk about them learning the piano and French
together, and how Philip would rush. That would be the final
interaction that Eliza and Philip would have of each other.
Falling Action After some time, Eliza decides to forgive Hamilton, for everything
that has happened to the both of them. Hamilton begs Eliza to
forgive him, and to walk with him in the isles of a peaceful street.
Hamilton also decides to endorse Jefferson in the presidential run
against Burr; this enrages Burr. Burr invites Hamilton to a duel.
Denouement / Resolution Hamilton decides to ‘throw away his shot’, letting Burr shoot him
in the near-end of the musical. Hamilton recites his last soliloquy,
rapping in a beat with no melody, while his gun aims at the sky.
Burr shoots, and regrets it immediately after. Hamilton ends up
dying with Eliza and Angelica by his side. The two Schuyler sisters
end up telling his story, and the story of the men that he fought
alongside with. Eliza helps tell Laurens’ story. At the end of the
musical, Eliza sings about her proudest achievement, which is the
first private orphanage in New York City; which reminds her of
Hamilton’s eyes. This concludes the musical.

Conflict:

Description
Man Vs. Man The American Revolt against the British
Hamilton vs. Samuel Seabury
Hamilton vs. Burr
Hamilton vs. Jefferson and Madison
Hamilton vs. Eliza
Hamilton vs. Angelica
Hamilton vs. Mr. Reynolds
Hamilton and Laurens vs. Charles Lee
Philip Hamilton vs. George Eacker
Man Vs. Society American Revolt vs. Starvation/Poverty [They were unable to buy
food since all merchants would allow are British money; they’ve
‘resorted to eating their horses’, “Stay Alive”]
Hamilton vs. Poverty
Orphans vs. The World
Hamilton vs. The Reynolds Pamphlet
Man Vs. Himself Hamilton vs. Himself
Aaron Burr vs. Himself
Man Vs. Nature N/A
Man Vs. God N/A

Theme: Time, Satisfaction, and Death

Lesson / Moral: To not take things too fast or too slow; everything has a pace.