Smooth'd meaning from Shakespeare
The phrase "smooth'd" in Shakespeare can have a couple of different meanings depending on the context.
1. To make something smooth or even: In some instances, "smooth'd" refers to the action of making something smooth or evening out roughness. For example, in "Julius Caesar," Antony says, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; / I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. / The evil that men do lives after them; / The good is oft interred with their bones." Here, the phrase "the good is oft interred with their bones" implies that good acts or virtues are often forgotten or smoothed over by time, while negative actions are remembered.
2. To deceive or placate: In other instances, "smooth'd" can also mean to deceive or placate someone. Shakespeare often portrays characters who cunningly manipulate others through smooth words and flattery. For example, in "Othello," Iago says, "Men should be what they seem; / Or those that be not, would they might seem none!" Here, Iago suggests that it is preferable for people to appear as they truly are, rather than disguising their true intentions, which implies that those who are not what they seem are attempting to smooth things over or deceive others.