While King Oberon was awaiting Puck’s return, he saw the unhappy lady Helena approaching with her faithless lover Demetrius. Oberon was invisible, and thus he overheard what they said. Demetrius had come to the wood in search of Hermia and Lysander, for Helena had told him of their proposed flight. Oberon heard Helena confess how deeply she loved Demetrius, and he heard Demetrius spurn her roughly, and declare he loved no one but Hermia.
Oberon was sorry for Helena, and he determined to punish Demetrius. He resolved to put some of the magic juice on the eyes of Demetrius, so that when he woke and saw Helena he should fall in love with her again, and then it would be Helena’s turn to repulse Demetrius and refuse to listen to him.
Demetrius and Helena had scarcely gone on their way when Puck returned.
“Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer,” said Oberon.
“Ay, there it is,” said Puck.
“I pray thee, give it me,” said Oberon, and his voice glided into a sweet chant:
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine: There sleeps Titania some time of the night, Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight; And there the snake throws her enamelled skin, Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in: And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes, And make her full of hateful fantasies.”
Oberon found Titania, as he had expected, and, stealing up quietly while she slept, he squeezed some of the magic juice on her eyelids, repeating this charm as he did so:
“What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take, Love and languish for his sake; Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Pard, or boar with bristled hair, When thou wakest, it is thy dear. Wake when some vile thing is near.”
And, laughing to himself at the strange experience which was likely to befall Titania, off went Oberon.