"It can be," says Laertes as he takes the bacon out of the pan. "It depends upon how well the fighters are matched, and how well thou knowest the weapon. A match with rapiers can be fought with deadly skill in the space of inches--an entrancing show, if thou art familiar with the blade, but dull entertainment for groundlings at a theatre. The longsword makes better spectacle. It's a hewing weapon, rather than a thrusting weapon; it requires great commitment to the swing."