To Deny thy Father's Name or not to Deny thy Father's Name: That is the Question, Juliet

Beauty, modesty, passivity, and obedience—these are the essential ingredients that were prescribed to a Renaissance woman.  A sparkling Renaissance beauty came into this world to be held under total dominion of her father until she was married whereby the power would be transferred to her husband.  She was to fully submit to her husband, and uphold her role as a  dutiful wife.  Beauty was the a key attribute for a Renaissance women, and as scholar Carroll Camden described, “[..] it appears to be the order of nature that what is lacking in one sex is supplied in the other, and since man is endowed with wit, judgment, and a mind almost divine[…]woman is given bodily beauty that she may be superior to man in this respect” (Camden 20).
Enter Juliet: young, chaste, royal, and beautiful.  She starts out by informing us that she is not quite the dutiful Renaissance girl by insisting right away that she ever wants to get married.   In Act III
Juliet fully pronounces her free agency declaring,

"I will not marry yet, and when I do I swear

It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,

Rather than Paris.   These are news indeed!"( 3.5.121-23)

Now Juliet did not outright speak these words directly to her father but to her mother.  To her father she respectfully asked to be heard to which Lord Capulet replied,

Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch

 I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday,

Or never after look me in the face:

 Speak not, reply not, do not answer me ( 3.5.160-3).

As a young Renaissance woman Juliet was required to obey her father’s will at any cost.  Juliet was aware that she could only gain autonomy through a subversive means which is why she stewed up a plot to fake her death and run off with Romeo.

Towards the end of Act III Juliet compliantly approached her father, expressing repentance for her unruliness.

              Where I have learn'd me to repent the sin

Of disobedient opposition

To you and your behests, and am enjoin'd

By holy Laurence to fall prostrate here,

 And beg your pardon: pardon, I beseech you!

Henceforward I am ever ruled by you. (3.5.16-21).

Juliet knew that she had no option but to demonstrate deference for her father.  And yet did not put a stop to her rebellion.  She rebelled and lost her life.  Perhaps death was the only way to break the constraining bounds. 

Works Cited

Camden, Carroll. The Elizabethan Woman. Mamaroneck, NY: Paul A. Appel, 1975. 
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. K. Deighton. London: Macmillan, 1916. Shakespeare Online. 20 Feb. 2010. 05 Sept. 2011 < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/romeo_3_5.html >.