All 3 Uses of
wanton
in
Othello, the Moor of Venice
- Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not To please the palate of my appetite; Nor to comply with heat,—the young affects In me defunct,—and proper satisfaction; But to be free and bounteous to her mind: And heaven defend your good souls, that you think I will your serious and great business scant For she is with me: no, when light-wing'd toys Of feather'd Cupid seel with wanton dullness My speculative and offic'd instruments, That my disports corrupt and taint my business, Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, And all indign and base adversities Make head against my estimation!†
Scene 1.3
- Our general cast us thus early for the love of his Desdemona; who let us not therefore blame: he hath not yet made wanton the night with her; and she is sport for Jove.†
Scene 2.3
- Oh, 'tis the spite of hell, the fiend's arch-mock,
To lip a wanton in a secure couch,
And to suppose her chaste. No, let me know,Scene 4.1 *wanton = someone who indulges in sexual promiscuity
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) In classic literature, wanton can also describe people who are playful or plants that are growing profusely.