The epitaph on Shakespeare's grave is a curse.

 Yes, it is — and a famously blunt one.

The epitaph on the grave of William Shakespeare in the Holy Trinity Church reads:

Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear,

To dig the dust enclosed here.

Blest be the man that spares these stones,

And curst be he that moves my bones.

It’s essentially a warning: leave the grave undisturbed or be cursed.

Why the curse?

In Shakespeare’s time, it was not uncommon for graves to be disturbed. Sometimes bones were removed to make room for new burials. The curse was likely meant to discourage anyone from relocating or tampering with his remains.

Whether Shakespeare himself wrote it isn’t certain, but tradition strongly suggests he did.

And interestingly — it seems to have worked. His grave has never been moved.