Juliet or Portia: passivity in the main role

In Romeo and Juliet, the role of the man is one aggressive, brave and passionate. The book is plenty of references to duels, which were the way to solve situations and arguments back in those times, and sex in the forms of puns and allegories. But, where are the women? Women play a quiet role in the plays of Shakespeare albeit they are without a shadow of a doubt the most important characters in those plays.

Juliet is portrayed as a girl whose presence, although vital in importance, is merely a entity waiting for something to happen. She enters into scene when she is told about the party, but especially when she meets Romeo. However, she is important for the play since she may have gone on with Paris in a relationship but Romeo could not have been successful in love without Juliet.

Juliet + Portia, Original drawing

Portia is a girl who was betrothed to whoever opens the right "casket" out of three, being one of them of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. Again, the passive attitude from the woman in another of the Shakespeare's plays. Nevertheless, she is the one who sets the story in motion from Belmont by just being...beautiful. Without her, Bassanio would not have fell in love, he would not have asked Antonio for money and none of the action would have happened.

As it can be read in my words, women play an essential role in at least the two plays of Shakespeare I have recalled, but is it really that they are the puppeteers of the story? without them, would the story have even seen the final page?