Question

what is the meaning of line "do cream and mantle like a standing pond"?

Answer 1

I think this is from merchant of Venice.
Here it means the still and grave faces of the melancholic men. Their faces are as still as the cream upon milk and algae for ponds(water bodies). They try to show they are the wisest of men.
Hope it helps. Mark this as the brainliest pls

Answer 2

Answer:

Do cream and mantle like a standing pond: i.e., acquire a lifeless, stiff, set expression (literally, grow a scum) like a standing (stagnant) pond.

Explanation:

Do cream and mantle like a standing pond: i.e., acquire a lifeless, stiff, set expression (literally, grow a scum) like a standing (stagnant) pond.