I urgently need to know if the following questions are correct? As they refer to Macbeth's plot, do you think I should use the simple present?
1)What is (was) Lady Macbeth’s plan?
2)Who is (was) the real Macbeth?
3)Who is blamed for Duncan’s death in Act II?
4)Why doesn’t Macbeth feel safe in Act II?
5)What happens to Lady Macbeth in Act V?
6)What did (does) Malcolm tell his soldiers to do when the army reached Birnam Wood?
7)What does Macduff confess to Macbeth?
8)Why did (does) Macbeth refuse to surrender?
9)How does the play end?
Answer
10) Who were the King's Men?
All are fine -- keep using present tense for these. No past tenses.
To determine whether to use the simple present or past tense for these questions, we need to understand the context in which they are being asked.
1) For the question "What is (was) Lady Macbeth's plan?" - if you are asking about her plan in the present time of the story, you would use the simple present tense ("What is Lady Macbeth's plan?"). If you are asking about her plan in the past, you would use the past tense ("What was Lady Macbeth's plan?").
2) For the question "Who is (was) the real Macbeth?" - if you are asking about the identity of Macbeth in the present time of the story, you would use the simple present tense ("Who is the real Macbeth?"). If you are asking about his identity in the past, you would use the past tense ("Who was the real Macbeth?").
3) For the question "Who is blamed for Duncan's death in Act II?" - since this event occurred in the past, you would use the past tense ("Who was blamed for Duncan's death in Act II?").
4) For the question "Why doesn't Macbeth feel safe in Act II?" - if you are asking about Macbeth's feelings in the present time of Act II, you can use the simple present tense ("Why doesn't Macbeth feel safe in Act II?"). However, if you are summarizing the story and discussing Macbeth's feelings based on past events, you could use the past tense ("Why didn't Macbeth feel safe in Act II?").
5) For the question "What happens to Lady Macbeth in Act V?" - since Act V is in the future relative to the present time in the story, you would use the simple present tense ("What happens to Lady Macbeth in Act V?").
6) For the question "What did (does) Malcolm tell his soldiers to do when the army reached Birnam Wood?" - if you are asking about what Malcolm told his soldiers in the past, you would use the past tense ("What did Malcolm tell his soldiers to do when the army reached Birnam Wood?"). If you are asking about what he tells his soldiers in the present time of the story, you would use the simple present tense ("What does Malcolm tell his soldiers to do when the army reaches Birnam Wood?").
7) For the question "What does Macduff confess to Macbeth?" - if you are asking about Macduff's confession in the present time of the story, you would use the simple present tense ("What does Macduff confess to Macbeth?").
8) For the question "Why did (does) Macbeth refuse to surrender?" - if you are asking about Macbeth's refusal to surrender based on past events, you would use the past tense ("Why did Macbeth refuse to surrender?"). If you are asking about his refusal to surrender in the present time of the story, you would use the simple present tense ("Why does Macbeth refuse to surrender?").
9) For the question "How does the play end?" - since the ending of the play is in the future relative to the present time in the story, you would use the simple present tense ("How does the play end?").
10) For the question "Who were the King's Men?" - since this question is asking about the past, you would use the past tense ("Who were the King's Men?").