“And therefore women, being weaker vessels, are always driven to the wall; therefore I will push Montague's men down from the walls and throw his maidens to the wall” are the words spoken by a Capulet servant at the beginning of the play (Ii14-17). It quickly illustrated that female characters had a completely different place in society than men and were thought to be weaker than them. Although there are only three main female characters in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, it is easy to interpret what the roles of women were in Verona during the Renaissance period. Based on the female characters in Romeo and Juliet, it appears that they matured more quickly than women do today, represented a submissive role in society, and were seen as an object to be possessed. Considering that people during the Renaissance did not live as long as they do now, Veronese women back then matured much faster than women do today. Getting married and having children were chores that were often completed before the age of eighteen. Juliet's marriage to Paris was supposed to take place when she was only thirteen, and Juliet's mother tells her that she became a mother "long after these years" (I.iii.70-72). Women in that period were passed down from parents to husbands without much opportunity for independent thought or action. Juliet had never considered marriage until her mother mentioned it, and when she did she seemed quite surprised. Since there were arranged marriages at that time, there were probably many cases where women did not love their chosen man. Juliet's arranged marriage to Paris is an example of this, and many problems arose because of it. Women had little freedom during that... middle of paper... order to hire people to do work for them, but this was not the case for other poor families of the Renaissance. Women in Renaissance Verona had a completely different place in society than men. Juliet, Lady Capulet, and the Nurse were the only female characters in the play, but they were able to illustrate the roles that all women had in that time period. All women during the Renaissance, based on the characters of Romeo and Juliet, matured faster than women today, played a submissive role in society, and played the role of an object to be possessed. Their roles show that they were powerless compared to men, but still had an important role in society. Women have gained significant control and influence since Romeo and Juliet was written, but unfortunately there are still many cases in the world where women are secondary to men.