The madman, the lover and the poet are all united in imagination. ~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1595, This quote from Shakespeare is a definitive illustration of Wordsworth's character in his poem Strange Fits of Passion I Have Known. In the poem the speaker takes a moonlit ride to his lover Lucy's cottage; it is during his journey there that the speaker engages in "crazy" thoughts imagining that Lucy is dead when he gets to see her. The poem is uniquely characterized by the negative effects of love on a person, as well as the way nature has an effect on human emotions; the latter is a fundamental theme in many of Wordsworth's literary pieces. In the first stanza the speaker begins to vocalize the thought he experienced while traveling to his lover's cottage. Strange fits of passion I have known: And I dare say, but only in the Lover's ear, What happened to me once. The speaker describes his sudden outburst of emotion as “strange” because he is keenly aware that his thoughts about Lucy's death are peculiar. It is common that when in love a person may pay attention to their imagination more than reality; The line “But in the Lover's ear alone” (line three) is the speaker saying that he will share his “strange” thoughts but only to those who, like him, are in the throes of passion because they would understand the affections that love can have on a person Wordsworth is known for his references to nature in many of his poems, the second stanza of this poem does not stray from that commonality. When she whom I loved seemed every day Fresh as a rose in June, I went to her cottage I bent on my way,......to the center of the paper......on her chest. The final stanza finally reveals the speaker's thoughts that have accumulated over the course of the poem. What affectionate and rebellious thoughts will slip into the head of a Lover! “O mercy!” I shouted to myself, "If Lucy were to be dead!" Horrified by this final revelation, it is evident that the speaker has experienced similar thoughts and that sometimes, despite great efforts, your imagination can direct your thoughts in a direction contrary to rational thought "What a fond thing and rebellious thoughts will slip (Line 25) In a Lover's head! "(Line 26). Strange Fits of Passion is another poem by Wordsworth that uses nature as a medium to convey human emotions but provides a unique depiction of the absurdities of emotional experience that can evolve from passionate love.