Shakespeare's Burial

Shakespeare's Burial

Shakespeare is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in his hometown of Stratford, Warwickshire. His gravestone bears an epitaph which Shakespeare himself supposedly wrote. It warns:

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.

The inscription on the church monument to Shakespeare, erected in 1621, reads:

Judicio Pylium, genio Socratem, arte Maronem
Terra tegit, populus moeret, Olympus habet.
Stay, passenger, why goest thou by so fast?
Read, if thou canst, whom envious death hath placed
Within this monument: Shakespeare, with whom
Quick nature doed; whose name doth deck his tomb
Far more than cost; sith all that he had writ
Leaves living art but page to serve his wit.
Obiit ano doi [anno domini] 1616. Aetatis 53. Die 23 Ap.

But how did Shakespeare die? Find out all we know about Shakespeare's death.

For more on how England reacted to Shakespeare's death please see Did Shakespeare's Death Go Unnoticed?

How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda. William Shakespeare of Stratford: Shakespeare's Burial Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespeareburial.html >.

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