Esther's Brilliant Plan

What do the first two chapters of Megillat Esther add to the story? Why do we need this seemingly unimportant background to the Purim story? Through a close examination of the first few chapters of the megillah, we notice that these chapters provide us with important psychological profiles of the main characters – Achashverosh, Esther, and Haman. It is based on these character descriptions that we can understand Esther’s plan- playing into their psychological weaknesses in order to ultimately save the Jewish nation.