what are Saul’s positive attributes? his negative attributes? do you believe the narrative presents a consistent portrait of Saul?
in Shakespeare’s tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers are doomed not by character flaws or mistakes, but by fate—is Saul’s downfall the result of his mistakes, or was it driven by fate (or Yahweh)?
if Saul's downfall is not the result of fate, what is Saul’s error or “fatal flaw”? does his error justify God’s rejection of him?
is there some other flaw in Saul’s character that is not emphasized by the narrator but that might explain the story’s overall negative portrayal of Saul?
does the story of Saul evoke feelings of pity or fear in modern readers? why or why not?
if all references to David after the story of his anointing by Samuel were removed, would your feelings about Saul change?