I've always seen Juliet as the strongest character out of the pair, and Romeo as weak.
Romeo is regularly called out for his weakness, most predominantly in my opinion, in Act 3 Scene 3 by the Friar. "Art thou a man? Thy cries out thou art; thy tears are womanish," which to me shows the Friar becoming annoyed at Romeo's ways, emphasised by the adjective 'womanish' as women were seen to be weak.
I feel this is also presented in their suicide. Romeo chooses a quick, and painless way out with the poison, whilst Juliet uses the more violent and painful 'happy dagger' which could make her seem the stronger of the two.
Finally, you could say that Juliet is stronger because of how her parents act with her. They seem to be concerned about Juliet's power, as they use Tybalt's death as a reason to ask her to marry, as if it's for her benefit and not theirs. 'Well, well, thou hast a careful father, child, one who, to put thee from thy heaviness, hath sorted out a sudden day of joy, that thou expects not, nor i look'd not for.' This proves to me, that Lady Capulet fears she will refuse, and disobeying parents was a very rare thing in the Elizabethen era. This proves Juliet to be stronger than Romeo, as he to me, is presented to be weak.
Anyone have the same, or different opinion?
Yes, I completely agree. Don't forget to use opportunities to make contextual links- especially impressive are ones that show you have researched your topic, and go beyond what the examiner reads on every script.
You have identified an impressive way of contextualising within Shakespeare's works. Ask yourself, how frequently does Shakespeare portray strong female characters? You could start with Cordelia in King Lear. Does this suggest Shakespeare approved of strong women, or was it a warning against dissent in a patriarchal society? Let us know what you find.
Looking through the female characters in King Lear, there seems to be an obvious idea of strong women. Cordelia appears to be very alike Juliet. She stands firmly by her morals and by standing up to her father, displays immense courage. Then, she cares for her father and seems to teach him what love is about; this to me, makes her a wise and very powerful female. Without her, her father dies, as Shakespeare seems to illustrate him being dependent on a less authoritative woman.
Goneril and Regan also come across as powerful women but in an evil way. They seem to have powers of manipulation to make sure they get what they want.
Lady Macbeth is also a of a powerful woman in Shakepeare's plays though. She mocks Macbeth for his little courage and seems to lead them to their short power. This is mainly seen in her soliloquy where she regularly uses the possessive pronoun "my" indicating that she is in charge. This makes her seem powerful.
Personally, I believe Shakespeare does approve of strong women. Although, you could argue that Goneril and Regan indicate a warning against dissent in a patriarchal society and Lady Macbeth's suicide could imply women can't handle power, I see Shakespeare subtly presenting a sense of gender equality. Alike the men in Shakespeare's plays, there are your more powerful, your more weak and those who can't handle or properly use their power. With all his plays put together, there isn't a gender shown to be predominatly stronger. Maybe, this could be to please both genders of audience or, to portray the idea that both women and men can be powerful.
Well done. You have uncovered Shakespeare's multifaceted portrayal of women. Possibly, as you say, to please both genders... Some people hold that Shakespeare's frequent ambiguous or seemingly contradictory positions demonstrate his own views clashing with those of his most important audience- he needs to keep the establishment sweet, so to speak. This is a beguiling notion as it seems to suggest he reveals his own ideologies below the radar- or over the heads- of a traditionalist, orthodox audience. It's almost like he's winking at us, his 21st century audience, down the reaches of time. It's been said that Shakespeare knew everything!