Shakespeare's plays were analyzed with the Regressive Imagery Dictionary. Incongruous juxtapositions first increased then decreased with date of composition. Primordial content decreased, while conceptual content increased over the same period. These trends were reflected in most, but not all, play types. Both overall and within most play types, popularity did not correspond to the various contents as they changed with time. In this analysis at least, Shakespeare's work does not seem to have been influenced by factors that might have been related to popularity.
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