In Act I Scene 1 do you think Egeus is justified in being angry with his daughter? Why or why not?

The answer to this question is wholly dependent on
perspective. In the eyes of the law, Hermia is Egeus' daughter, therefore she is his
property until he hands her off to a husband. As such, he is allowed to do with her as
he wishes and she is not to have any say in the matter. However, from a modern
perspective, we view this as repressive and controlling behavior because, as an American
society, we do not accept the concept of arranged marriages. It is important, however,
to acknowledge that some cultures do still view arranged marriages as the norm, so again
the potential justification for his anger is largely dependent on the
reader.

Hermia has defied her father. We do accept that
children should not defy their parents as long as their parents requests or demands are
reasonable. The question, then, is is Egeus' demand that Hermia marry Demetrius
reasonable?

This is a matter of perspective, but it can
also be argued that Shakespeare, given his resolution in this work as well as his tragic
outcome in Romeo and Juliet, had his own opinions about parental involvement in their
children's relationships. From the writer's perspective, therefore, it is arguable that
his anger is not justified.