Shakespeare retired from public life in 1610, right after the bubonic plague began to subside its attack on london. this act was unusual for the time, but he was by no means less active. in fact, the playwright continued to make frequent trips to london to collaborate with other playwrights, such as john fletcher, and to spend time with his son-in-law john hall, who married his elder daughter susanna in 1607. the playwright was an active dramatist and writer up until 1613 when the last of his great works was finished. from then on, shakespeare spent most of his time in stratford-upon-avon, where he had purchased the second-largest home in town for his family. william shakespeare died on april 23, 1616, and was buried at the holy trinity church in stratford two days later, with a curse written on his tombstone to ward off those who would disturb his bones. he was 52 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, anna, and their two daughters. there are no direct descendants from shakespeare's line, as both daughters had children who did not make it to adulthood.