Later years and death

Rowe was the first biographer to pass down the tradition that Shakespeare retired to Stratford some years before his death;^[47] but retirement from all work was uncommon at that time,^[48] and Shakespeare continued to visit London.^[47] In 1612 he was called as a witness in a court case concerning the marriage settlement of Mountjoy's daughter, Mary.^[49] In March 1613 he bought a gatehouse in the former Blackfriars priory;^[50] and from November 1614 he was in London for several weeks with his son-in-law, John Hall.^[51]

Shakespeare's funerary monument in Stratford-upon-Avon.

After 1606–1607, Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, and none are attributed to him after 1613.^[52] His last three plays were collaborations, probably with John Fletcher,^[53] who succeeded him as the house playwright for the King’s Men.^[54]
Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616^[55] and was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susanna had married a physician, John Hall, in 1607,^[56] and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months before Shakespeare’s death.^[57]
In his will, Shakespeare left the bulk of his large estate to his elder daughter Susanna.^[58] The terms instructed that she pass it down intact to "the first son of her body".^[59] The Quineys had three children, all of whom died without marrying.^[60] The Halls had one child, Elizabeth, who married twice but died without children in 1670, ending Shakespeare’s direct line.^[61] Shakespeare's will scarcely mentions his wife, Anne, who was probably entitled to one third of his estate automatically.^[62] He did make a point, however, of leaving her "my second best bed", a bequest that has led to much speculation.^[63] Some scholars see the bequest as an insult to Anne, whereas others believe that the second-best bed would have been the matrimonial bed and therefore rich in significance.^[64]
Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death.^[65] The epitaph carved into the stone slab covering his grave includes a curse against moving his bones, which was carefully avoided during restoration of the church in 2008:^[66]

Shakespeare's grave.

Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,

To digg the dvst encloased heare.

Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,

And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.^[67]

Modern spelling:

"Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,"

"To dig the dust enclosed here."

"Blessed be the man that spares these stones,"

"And cursed be he who moves my bones."^[66]

Sometime before 1623, a funerary monument was erected in his memory on the north wall, with a half-effigy of him in the act of writing. Its plaque compares him to Nestor, Socrates, and Virgil.^[68] In 1623, in conjunction with the publication of the First Folio, the Droeshout engraving was published.^[69]
Shakespeare has been commemorated in many statues and memorials around the world, including funeral monuments in Southwark Cathedral and Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.