All 3 Uses of
wanton
in
Henry IV, Part 2
- every idle, nice and wanton reason
Scene 4.1 *wanton = of something considered bad
- Thou art a guard too wanton for the head Which princes, flesh'd with conquest, aim to hit.†
Scene 1.1
- Briefly to this end: we are all diseased, And with our surfeiting and wanton hours Have brought ourselves into a burning fever, And we must bleed for it; of which disease Our late king, Richard, being infected, died.†
Scene 4.1
Definitions:
-
(1)
(wanton) of something considered bad: excessive, thoughtless indulgence -- such as waste, cruelty, violence, and (especially in the past) sexual promiscuity
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
In classic literature, wanton can also describe people who are playful or plants that are growing profusely.