"A fustian riddle." M.O.A.I.

These four alphabets are triple-played on shape, sound, and meaning. The whole scene is about how to solve it but lengthy, so I only list the author's hints in their original order. The triple-play comes in sequence as the dialogue.

1. M.O.A.I. shape buttocks, anus, and penis.

• "let me see, let me see, let me see.":: see the alphabets, not to sound them.


• "any formal capacity":: formal relates to form (OED 1447, 1827); capacity is any hollow space, cavity (OED 1541, 1704); a hint on vagina, anus, or mouth.


• "Alphabetical position portend":: MO for buttocks and anus, or breasts and vagina; AI for the penis with a sharp head.


• "if I could make that resemble something in me?":: the organs in Malvolio's body.


• "Softly, M.O.A.I.":: softly, not to sound them.


• "O I, make up that":: shapes of "O I" make up this riddle, hole and penis. The "O I" appears 18 times in the 1623 Folio, "O, I" 12 times.

2. M.O.A.I. simulate the sound of a four-stage sex.

• "Sowter will cry upon it for all this":: a seeker will cry out the four alphabets to solve the riddle. M can only moan, O opens mouth, A throats joy, and then cries out I.


• "O shall end":: Malvolio was cursed to end at O, a premature ejaculation.


• "suffers under probation":: suffers under foreplay, a man on probation of sex, the reason for Malvolio's failure.


• "cudgel him, and make him cry O.":: put a cudgel (stick) on his O, anus, and make him cry O; a hint on sound and anal sex.


• "And then I. comes behind.":: the "I" (shaped penis) comes from the behind, another hint on anal sex.

3. M.O.A.I. crushes to a prose, I AM O. I accept anal sex.

• "This simulation is not as the former: and yet to crush this a little":: a new play to crush the sequence of M.O.A.I. a little.


• "here follows prose":: I AM O, is the only possible prose, which makes Malvolio a homosexual or bisexual.

The beginning of the riddle summaries how the anal sex does sway Malvolio's life.

MALVOLIO: (reading a letter)
I may command where I adore,
but silence like a Lucrece knife:
With bloodless stroke my heart does gore,
M.O.A.I. does sway my life.

[1] I:: the first "I" shapes penis.
[1] I:: the second "I" can be Maria, Olivia, or Malvolio. The author made Malvolio read the letter as his soliloquy, so the "I" is taking as Malvolio.
[1] where:: the anus or vagina or both.
[2] silence:: suppression.
[2] like a Lucrece knife:: the chastity like a knife.
[3] bloodless, gore:: a) with stroke on anus, a place without blood, inciting one's heart; b) with lifeless stroke on vagina, breaking one's heart.
[4] sway:: to rock (Malvolio's life).

FABIAN:
A fustian riddle.

Fustian is an inflated, made-up language (OED 1599). It hints us not to treat this riddle as normal language, and to inflate it. Whoever said Shakespeare isn't about riddle, missed this line.

These alphabets are not used for anagram here, but the author made most of the names related to them: M.O.A.I. as Maria, Malvolio, Orsino, Olivia, Antonio, Andrew Ague-cheek, Illyria; C.V.T. as Cesario, Curio, Viola, Valentine, Toby; only excluded Sebastian, Fabian, Feste. It shows how alphabets impact the play--sex sways almost everyone.

(August 17, 2010 by J. F.)