Hamlet tells his friend Horatio that the "potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit," revealing the extent to which his soul has been overwhelmed by something much more profound than the poison that killed him. The poison used to kill Hamlet symbolizes betrayal and despair. The poison had been used to kill the ones who weren't supposed to die from it. Hamlet had consistently been betrayed throughout the whole play. Hamlet’s betrayal begins with his father appearing before him, and informing him his uncle has killed his father. King Hamlet, the ghost, sets up Hamlet's downfall regarding betrayal by making him swear multiple times to seek revenge. Hamlet’s only goal is to mask the feeling of sorrow and grieving of his father by achieving revenge. Revenge however does not solve anything, it only creates more problems.
Hamlet is betrayed by everyone and everything. Hamlet was betrayed by all members of his family, himself, and the world. Hamlet had no control over what happened to him, he did however control how he reacted. His reaction of revenge ruined every aspect of his life.
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Everyone experiences betrayal, disillusionment, and despair at least once in life. Shakeespare does an adequate job explaining that betrayal is something that occurs in everyone's life and how we respond to it is so important. Shakespares is presenting us with the opportunity to understand that when emotions cloud thoughts, actions regarding those clouded those are usually ones we regret. Hamlet’s emotions of vexation, distress, and sadness blinded him from the future he could have had. Hamlet's physical poison is visible and measurable, but the poison that overwhelms his spirit is something much more insidious. It is a poison that seeps into the soul, corrupting it from within, and it is something that only those who have experienced it themselves can truly