Parodying Through Song: How Comic Devices in King George III’s Songs in Hamilton Challenge Contemporary Dispositions About the Symbolic Value of Youth Culture

Writing from the perspective of an academic and theatre maker, I draw on Pierre Bourdieu’s theories about cultural capital and taste to consider the comic treatment of King George III in Hamilton, and to assess the audience reception of the musical. I critically analyse the parodic techniques used in George III’s three songs – “You’ll Be Back,” “What Comes Next?” and “I Know Him.” The songs are based on two historical documents: the 1775 Proclamation of Rebellion and the 1783 Treaty of Paris. I focus on two parodic techniques that are intended not only to produce a comic effect but to challenge the symbolic value of different tastes and lifestyles: a) internal undermining, which relates to the parodic adaptation of a historical text; and b) dissonant music and movement choices. After analysing how dispositions relating to the symbolic value of youth culture affect how audiences received Hamilton and the broader power structures of the musical theatre field, I examine how the parodic representation of George III through text, music and movement invites audiences to renegotiate the symbolic power of their cultural capital. I argue that the audience’s reception of the humor in George III’s songs depends on their cultural capital – their cultural knowledge and consumption patterns. Hamilton uses parodic techniques not only for comic effect and to reach broader audiences, but to create a forum in which audiences can negotiate mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion.