Act 3
Desperate and forsaken by God, Saul seeks guidance from the Witch of Endor, who summons the spirit of the prophet Samuel. Samuel foretells Saul’s impending doom, declaring that he and his sons will die in battle and the kingdom will pass to David. The prophecy is fulfilled as Saul and Jonathan are killed in combat against the Philistines. An Amalekite brings the news to David, claiming he ended Saul’s life at Saul’s request. David, horrified, orders the Amalekite’s execution for harming God’s anointed. The act concludes with David mourning the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in a heartfelt elegy, lamenting the loss of his friend and the fallen king, while looking ahead to his own future as Israel’s leader.
