The biblical story of Saul in 1 Samuel contains evidence of a tragic vision which has two central features. First, tragic themes are introduced and developed by means of multiple repetitions or typescenes in which the subsequent account emphasizes the tragic nature of the events described in the first. Second, the development of tragic themes is facilitated by the portrayal of the deity's ambivalence in enduring two kings simultaneously, terrorizing Saul with an evil divine spirit and sending a good spirit on David. The tragic vision in the Saul narrative has been perceived by Alphonse de Lamartine, and his drama Saül: Tragédie is an attempt to dramatize the events of 1 Samuel. The significant similarities and differences in plot and characterization between Lamartine's drama and the biblical narrative draw attention to the tragic themes in the anterior text and offer a new conception of Saul's suffering in the posterior text. Lamartine has borrowed from Greek tragic form as well as 1 Samuel for thematic materials and tragic devices. The deity is off-stage, as in much Greek drama, but the characters infer divine intervention in human affairs. Thomas Hardy also became fascinated with the story of Saul and in The Mayor of Casterbridge he has structured the relationship between Henchard and Farfrae on the relationship between Saul and David. There are similarities in both plot events and in characterization, but the most significant departure from the biblical material is the absence of the deity, which colours the tragic vision very differently, and idea of the supernatural is also of great significance in the novel. Hardy's novel displays evidence of the influence of Greek tragedy in plot and in theme. Also crucial to the novel are the role of fate and the sociological theme.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to explore "who is saying what to whom for what purpose" in the text of 1 Samuel 8-12 through an analysis of the manifestations of ideology in this text. The emphasis of this thesis lies in the application of multiple methodologies in biblical interpretation with a view to (a) reconstructing the material and ideological conditions under which the biblical text was produced in order to determine which group produced the text and whose socioeconomic interests it served; and (b) investigating how these conditions are encoded in reproducing a particular ideology in order to determine how the texts incorporated the particular ideologies or interests of the time. The present research, for this reason, combines an extrinsic and an intrinsic analysis to read the world of 1 Samuel. The extrinsic analysis makes use of a social-historical and a social scientific approach to explore the particular circumstances. It indicates that the biblical writing should be regarded as conscious writing which aims to interpret historical incidents and construct specific ideologies. 1 Samuel 8-12 might therefore have been constructed by exilic groups to provide reasons for their difficult past. The intrinsic analysis makes use of narrative criticism, especially the theory of conflict plot, to do an in-depth investigation of the rhetoric of 1 Samuel 8-12. This analysis indicates that these chapters highlight the ambivalence of the monarchy, although the surface structure might tell a different story. The findings of the research have led to the conclusion that 1 Samuel 8-12 appears to present no clear position with regard to the future of the monarchy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om vas te stel "wie sê wat vir wie, en met watter doel" in die teks van 1 Samuel 8-12. Dit word gedoen deur 'n analise te maak van hoe ideologie in hierdie teks manifesteer. Die klem van hierdie studie lê in die toepassing van verskillende metodologieë van bybelinterpretasie ten einde (a) die materiaal en ideologiese omstandighede waarin die bybelteks geproduseer is, te rekonstrueer, met die oog daarop om vas te stel wie die teks geproduseer het, en wie se belange daardeur gedien word; en (b) te ondersoek hoe hierdie omstandighede enkodeer is in die formulering van a spesifieke ideologie, ten einde te bepaal hoe die teks die betrokke ideologieë of belange van die tyd geïnkorporeer het. Om hierdie rede kombineer die studie 'n ekstrensieke en 'n intrensieke analise om die wêreld van 1 Samuel te lees. Die ekstrensieke analise gebruik 'n sosio-historiese en sosiaal-wetenskaplike benadering om die betrokke omstandighede na te vors. Hierdie benadering dui aan dat die bybelteks beskou kan word as 'n bewuste geskrif wat ten doel het om sekere historiese gebeure te interpreteer en om spesifieke ideologieë te konstrueer. 1 Samuel 8-12 is daarom moontlik gekonstrueer deur eksiliese groepe om verklarings vir hul moeilike verlede te gee. Die intrinsieke analise maak gebruik van narratiewe kritiek, veral die teorie van konflikplot, om 'n in-diepte studie te maak van die retoriek van 1 Samuel 8-12. Hierdie analise toon dat die betrokke hoofstukke die ambivalensie van die koningskap beklemtoon, hoewel die oppervlaktestruktuur moontlik 'n ander verhaal vertel. Die bevindings van hierdie navorsing lei dan tot die konklusie dat 1 Samuel 8-12 skynbaar geen duidelike posisie met betrekking tot die toekoms van die koningskap aanbied nie.