Purim

If you are talking about the story of Purim, the villain, Haman, was identified by Esther, and the King had him and his brothers executed, instead of the Jews.

Yes, traditionally people dress up as the characters of the story in the Torah (Hamen, Esther, etc) but it has become almost the Jewish equivalent of Halloween.

No. Darius I (522-486 BCE) provided help to have the Temple finished. The Old Testament says that financial help had been promised by Cyrus I after the return from Exile, and Darius honoured that promise. Darius II (423-c.405) was much later.

It is unknown, but estimates place it around the 3rd or 4th Century BCE.

Since the law of the kingdom was that laws that were stamped with the kings signet ring could not be retracted, Achashverosh made another law saying that the Jews could fight back against anyone who attacked them.

She was an Israelite from Judea, of the Jewish tribe of Benjamin.

Ahasuerus chose Esther as queen in the seventh year of his reign, when his wife, Vashti, proved disloyal. (Esther 2:16, 17)

Some believe that Judaism originated with Abraham, while others say Moses, giving a range of possibilities for the country or region of origin for judaism. However scholars say that monotheistic Judaism was really introduced by King Josiah of Judah, during the Deuteronomistic reforms of the seventh century BCE.

The Book of Esther doesn't actually mention his background, but as the King of Persia, it is assumed that he was Persian.

Barry Schwartz created a great iPhone App that has Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther) along with a built in grogger (noise-maker) with 5 different cute sounds (firecracker, machine gun, grogger, air horn, and booing). The Megila is quite readable, and the gragger is easy to activate, and doesn't go off accidentally.

Esther's strength is that she trusted in God and did what she could to save her people. Even though there was a chance she could have been killed, she was courageous and spoke up to save them. She was also obedient to her uncle.

Esther's weakness is that at first she is reluctant to save her people.

It can be. It's not a traditional food for the holiday like potato pancakes or jelly donuts but there is no proscription against it.

a-has-you-AIR-us, or close to it. Maybe a-has-you-ERR-us. Five syllables, with the stress on the fourth. Minor stress on 'has'.

The book of Esther. See related link.

Matza isn't eaten during Purim.

There is no tradition that addresses eating matza on Purim. It is treated as any other food.

Sadly, just as is the case with followers of any religion, some Jews have the idea that simply being Jewish makes them better than people who are not Jewish. This is actually a very unJewish idea, since Judaism commands its followers to respect others regardless of their beliefs and even states that it is easier for those who are not Jewish to get into Heaven. While I have met some Jews who seem to have a real problem with non-Jews, they are thankfully very much in the minority.

No. That is just a story from the Talmud.

It was said those who fast come closer to God and she fasted to come in favour with and worship God.

The story of Esther holds a very important role in the teachings of Judaism. Contrary to what many people mistakenly believe, she was not the most beautiful woman, rather, the reason she was chosen by King Achashveros was because of her modesty. The king provided the best of garments, jewels, perfumes, etc to the women participating in the beauty contest, however, Esther eschewed these gifts and chose to dress very modestly without jewels, etc.

In all of her actions, Esther was motivated by pure love for both HaShem (The Creator) and her fellow Jews. Despite her situation (thinking she was going to lose her place in the world to come), she never lost faith or hope. Esther had a pure mind.

Mordechai

There are no restrictions specific to Purim because it is not considered a holy day. There is an obligation to be happy, and even to drink some wine to the point of intoxication.