The birth of tragedy from the spirit of the Old Testament
A diverse people yearn to be united and led by a king. God reluctantly fulfils their wish and arranges for Saul to be named ruler. His reign begins successfully; Saul wins wars and establishes a state based on firm principles. He extends its power step by step. But Saul is increasingly racked by self-doubt while suspicion, melancholy and anger cloud his mind. Saul, the source of the new order – rejecting theocracy for monarchy – is becoming its greatest threat. God is forced to realise that He has chosen the wrong person. But He isn’t the only one regretting his decision, as the old unity between God and humankind finally and irrevocably ends.
Botho Strauß has condensed a Biblical story from I Samuel to construct a portrait of a man torn apart by expectations invested in him, by the task conferred on him by fate and the limits of his abilities. In a clear yet highly poetical style, Strauß’s Saul depicts the birth of tragedy from the spirit of the Old Testament.
