When you think of a night of rip-roaring fits of laughter, maybe a comedy club performance comes to mind. Or a good (back when there was such a thing) Will Ferrell movie. Or maybe even a local school board meeting.

You probably don’t think ‘William Shakespeare.’

Although The Bard is certainly well-known in scholarly circles for his comedies as well as his tragedies, modern audiences wouldn’t expect to split their knickers in riotous laughter at a performance of his many works.

(Why modern audiences would be wearing knickers is another matter entirely, but let’s leave undergarment choice to individual discretion.)