Emotional Disturbance in the Old English Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn

This article argues that the Old English Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn adapt the classical dialectical method in order to show how individual mentality can be reshaped through dialogue. The first section demonstrates that Saturn seeks healing for his afflicted mentality through the reconciliatory powers of dialogue. In the second section, I turn to the contrasting treatment of anger in Solomon and Saturn I and Solomon and Saturn II as manifestations of divine vengeance and sinful vice, respectively. Ultimately, the two poems in dialogue with one another demonstrate how an individual's emotional state is open to moderation and improvement through discursive practice.