After 1606–1607, Shakespeare wrote fewer plays, and none are attributed to him after 1613.[46] His last three plays were collaborations, probably with John Fletcher,[47] who succeeded him as the house playwright for the King’s Men.[48]
Rowe was the first biographer to pass down the tradition that Shakespeare retired to Stratford some years before his death;[49] but retirement from all work was uncommon at that time,[50] and Shakespeare continued to visit London.[49] In 1612, he was called as a witness in a court case concerning the marriage settlement of Mountjoy's daughter, Mary.[51] In March 1613, he bought a gatehouse in the Blackfriars priory;[52] and from November 1614, he was in London for several weeks with his son-in-law, John Hall.[53]
Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616,[54] and was survived by his wife and two daughters. Susanna had married a physician, John Hall, in 1607,[55] and Judith had married Thomas Quiney, a vintner, two months before Shakespeare’s death.[56]
Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Blest be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.
Inscription on Shakespeare’s grave
In his will, Shakespeare left the bulk of his large estate to his elder daughter Susanna.[57] The terms instructed that she pass it down intact to "the first son of her body".[58] The Quineys had three children, all of whom died without marrying.[59] The Halls had one child, Elizabeth, who married twice but died without children in 1670, ending Shakespeare’s direct line.[60] Shakespeare's will scarcely mentions his wife, Anne, who was probably entitled to one third of his estate automatically. He did make a point, however, of leaving her "my second best bed", a bequest that has led to much speculation.[61] 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.[62]
Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death.[63] Sometime before 1623, a 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.[64] A stone slab covering his grave is inscribed with a curse against moving his bones.
Subject: Later years and death 
Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:32 pm
