The Six-Step Delimiter Mechanism — Explained

How Dr. Orville Owen's Word-Cipher wheel is described as finding, cutting, and joining passages · shown on real First Folio text

A teaching schematic. This illustrates how the six-step method is described as working, using genuine 1623 First Folio passages (original spelling). It explains the mechanism only — it makes no claim about whether a hidden message exists.

The colour code

Guide word (Fortune / Nature / Honour / Reputation) Delimited sentence & joins Rare “key” word Surrounding Folio text Joining tissue

The six steps

Step 1ENTRYA guide word is located on the wheel.

Step 2DELIMITThe sentence around it is pencilled off.

Step 3SELECTA rare key word is chosen as a selector.

Step 4EXTRACTThe passage is lifted and labelled by its key.

Step 5SORTLike-labelled passages are grouped.

Step 6JOINThey are stitched with joining tissue.

Three worked sites

1 · Romeo and Juliet

Guide word FORTUNE (3.1) · key phrase from Juliet's speech (3.2)

Steps 1–2 · Entry & Delimit
O! I am Fortunes foole.

▸ the guide word Fortune triggers entry; its whole sentence is delimited (underlined violet).

Steps 3–4 · Select & Extract
Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steedes, toward Phoebus lodging.

▸ the rare key fiery-footed steeds selects and labels this passage for extraction.

Steps 5–6 · Sort & Join
I am Fortunes foole — and so fiery-footed steedes bear me hence.

▸ the delimited sentence and the key-labelled passage are joined; grey words are the joining tissue.

2 · Hamlet

Guide word NATURE (3.2) · rare key from Claudius's scene (4.5)

Steps 1–2 · Entry & Delimit
to hold as 'twer the Mirrour vp to Nature; to shew Vertue her owne Feature.

▸ the guide word Nature triggers entry; the sentence is delimited.

Steps 3–4 · Select & Extract
We haue done but greenly, in hugger-mugger to interre him.

▸ the rare key hugger-mugger (used once in the play) selects and labels this passage.

Steps 5–6 · Sort & Join
the Mirrour vp to Nature was held, though all hugger-mugger, to shew the truth.

▸ guide-sentence and key-passage are stitched with joining tissue.

3 · Love's Labour's Lost

Guide word HONOUR (the letter, 5.2) · the Folio's longest word as key (5.1)

Steps 1–2 · Entry & Delimit
Right Honourable, the continuance of your loue.

▸ the guide word Honour triggers entry; its sentence is delimited.

Steps 3–4 · Select & Extract
Thou art not so long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus.

▸ the rare key honorificabilitudinitatibus — used exactly once in the Folio — is the strongest possible selector: it points to one place only.

Steps 5–6 · Sort & Join
Right Honourable — a word no less than honorificabilitudinitatibus — thus we conclude.

▸ the two labelled fragments join into one line via joining tissue.