Oberon is very tricky when it comes to getting the little boy away from Titania. At first, he tries negotiation. He has been arguing with Titania long enough when we first see them in Act II, but Titania won't give him the boy because Oberon wants to train him to be a henchman and she wants to honor his mother's memory by rearing him herself. When Titania refuses Oberon for the last time and leaves, he says the following:
"Well, go thy way. Thou shalt not from this grove
Till I torment thee for this injury" (II.i.148-149).
This shows that Oberon means business and intends to harm Titania. So, he tells Puck to go get a flower with a magic love potion in it. The goal is to get Titania to fall in love with something hideous in order to distract her so he can steal the boy away. The question is, does it work? The audience finds out in Act IV as follows:
"When I had at my pleasure taunted her,
And she in mild terms begg'd my patience,
I then did ask of her her changeling child;
Which straight she gave me, and her fairy sent
To bear him to my bower in Fairyland.
And now I have the boy," (IV.i.53-59).
Most of Act III shows Titania in love with Bottom, whose head has been turned into that of a donkey's. Oberon sits back and laughs at the scene, then he goes and makes fun of her to her face. Once she is finally humble, vulnerable, are drugged sufficiently, he asks for the boy and she "willingly" gives the boy over to him. It's a pretty clever trick, but not very nice, either.
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