Can the ocean be considered a lover? Is it possible for someone to feel a strong infatuation with rolling waves and the smell of salt water? Does the sea have the ability to love someone? Looking into the waters, the female character in Emily Dickinson's poem titled "I Started Early - I Got My Dog," is intrigued by the mystifying qualities of the sea. Ranging from baffling creatures, to massive ships, and even crashing waves, the main character can't help but slowly move through the water until he is almost completely engulfed. Similarly, in William Shakespeare's play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Bottom, although transformed into a donkey, cannot help but slowly become interested in Titania's greedy advances. Using small compliments, affectionate praise, and even servants at her side, she manages to rope Bottom into trying to convince him to stay in the woods with her. In both literary passages, although the woman and Bottom are initially cautious, the sea and Titania use various devices to demonstrate their love. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the opening of the poem “I started early – I took my dog,” the first reference to the mysterious nature of the sea is through the use of the phrase “The mermaids in the basement came out to watch me –”. Sirens have had great ambiguity since the beginning of sailors' tales. Claiming to only come out into the open on certain occasions or to be seen by only a select few, mermaids are believed to be very rare. The fact that the protagonist of the poem has mermaids coming from the depths of the ocean just to watch her must mean that she is of great importance to the sea. It's almost as if the ocean is inviting the mermaids to gather and offer themselves as gifts. The ocean loves the woman in the poem and is trying to gain her appreciation with such a gift. In William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Titania tries to lure her newfound love with the potion through the use of complimentary language. Bottom is known not to have a great voice, but after hearing him sing he says, "Please, gentle mortal, sing again." He is using his praise abilities the same way the ocean uses its rare mermaids to try to conquer Bottom. She may know that her voice isn't perfect, but her admiration intrigues him and makes him question the situation. “And Frigates – in the Upper Floor Extend Hempen Hands –,” Dickinson writes in her poem on page 129 of Final Harvest. Although the large ships on the surface may seem intimidating, they hand over their ropes to the woman. The sea once again tries to impress the woman with the imposing ships on the upper floor. In contrast to the mystery of the mermaids, large ships seem to be everywhere. These ships may be ubiquitous, but such steel vessels are rarely thought of as gentle giants. It is the tender nature of the vessels in the poem that helps win over the woman. Now he realizes that there is a softer side to the sea that he has never seen before. In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Bottom begins to question Titania's admirable nature when he says, "I think, mistress, you should have little reason for this [her love towards him]." After beginning to woo him with small talk and liking his songs, Titania, using a grandiose, all-encompassing statement, calmly responds, "You are as wise as you are beautiful." While the statement may be bold, the use of the words wise and beautiful adds a sense of tenderness to the phrase. In most cases, such a surprising statement would come.