The story of Saul is a tragedy: as the final act of his life begins, a mysterious and ominous scene unfolds, spreading until it becomes an unavoidable certainty. Saul rises to save Israel from the Philistines; he will soon fall at their hands. Samuel, who anointed him king, now speaks to him from the grave, warning him of the impending execution of the sentence. Aware of his condemnation and imminent death, Saul bravely walks toward his fate. His guilt does not lessen the strength and greatness of his tragic figure; the author’s opposition to him does not prevent him from being portrayed as an extraordinary hero. God’s silence signifies that He has abandoned Saul, that God’s final word to Saul has been a sentence of condemnation.