Relationship Spotlight: George Washington & Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton)

When I found out Christopher Jackson (Benny from In the Heights) was playing George Washington in Hamilton, I expected the same type of friendship dynamic that Benny and Usnavi had in In the Heights.  Not that Jackson and Lin-Manuel Miranda are only capable of playing off of each other in one way, but that two longtime friends of roughly equal ages will have a certain vibe that just comes through whenever they work together.

In truth, Hamilton and Washington are entirely different from Usnavi and Benny.  Rather than a friendship, the dynamic between Washington and Hamilton is that of a surrogate father/son, mentor/mentee, and leader/right-hand-man.  When these two interact, I easily buy that Jackson is a good two decades older than Miranda, simply through Washington’s gravitas and the way he regards Hamilton.  It’s an impressive feat of acting and writing that this relationship is presented so beautifully.

On first glance, they seem like an odd-couple pairing.  Young Hamilton is brash and cocksure, passionate about joining the Revolution.  He’s incredibly talented and undeniably brave, but his strong opinions and smart mouth tend to put him on people’s bad sides.  This is a far cry from regal, stalwart General Washington.  He’s seen as America’s hope, its leader and father, and he strives to live up to that mantle with quiet dignity.  However, it’s important to remember that Washington does have 20+ years on Hamilton; he’s had time to make mistakes and learn from them, and in Hamilton, he sees memories of his younger self.

Washington admires Hamilton’s conviction and values his dogged work ethic.  He hopes to pass on a portion of all he’s learned to the fiery young revolutionary, teaching Hamilton that “dying like a martyr” shouldn’t be the pinnacle of ideologically romantic aspirations and that what people say about a man isn’t as important as how that man lives his life.  For his part, Hamilton fairly idolizes Washington, absolutely viewing him as one of America’s greatest men, but that doesn’t make Hamilton himself a docile follower.  He has his own (very decided) ideas about the direction he thinks his life should take, and when Washington seems to stand in the way of that direction – refusing to give Hamilton a battalion to command – he rails against his general.  He also gets involved with petty in-fighting against Washington’s orders and later makes enemies in Washington’s cabinet, making “Jefferson started it!” excuses when Washington calls him out on it.

This is where the father/son dynamic comes through the strongest.  Washington cares about Hamilton and tries to protect him from his own recklessness, wanting to help Hamilton avoid the mistakes Washington made at Hamilton’s age.  Hamilton, though, resents any suggestion that he isn’t in the right and chafes against Washington’s firm, caring guidance.  He spends a fair amount of time arguing with Washington, but it’s so different than his conflicts with Burr, Jefferson, etc., because it comes from such a place of wanting Washington to recognize that he can do well.  He’s so much like a self-assured son trying to make his way in the world and insisting he doesn’t need any more help from his dad.  Yet, he frequently comes around when he has some time to cool off, realizing the value of Washington’s wisdom and experience.  He learns to understand that, when it comes down to it, Washington only wants to show him the tools he needs to succeed on his own.