Both Uses of
wanton
in
King Lear
- As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods,-- They kill us for their sport.
Scene 4.1 *wanton = considered bad
- Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels when she put 'em i' the paste alive; she knapped 'em o' the coxcombs with a stick and cried 'Down, wantons, down!'†
Scene 2.4
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.