Which of the Muses is your favourite, and why?
Euterpe, for the many eargasmic experiences her disciples have given me over the years.
R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya
• Terpsichore, who teases me on to the dancefloor.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• Erato, Muse of love poetry, wins out. Apart from the fact that poetry is my passion, I assumed she inspired Shakespeare’s sublime sonnet (116) beginning “Let me not to the marriage of true minds ...”.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• Thalia, the muse that amuses. Definitely not Karaoke, the Japanese muse that abuses.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia
• Euterpe. She was the patroness of joy and pleasure, so clearly could do more than amuse.
Jim Dewar, Gosford, NSW, Australia
• Clio, because history is never static and most preconceptions are eventually undermined.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• Hippopotamuses – because they even amuse bemused ignoramuses.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
• I was a devotee of Thalia, muse of comedy, but lately I have moved closer to the muse of tragedy, Melpomene.
When I see the news every day, I never know whether to laugh or cry.
John Geffroy, Las Vegas, New Mexico, US
• No need to muse long on this one: Calliope, because she inspired a Greek poet to hit a homer with no fewer than two of the greatest epic poems ever.
Tijne Schols, The Hague, The Netherlands
• There’s a group called Muse, which fills stadiums worldwide. My daughter got to know the band in 1999 and has seen them 25 times. Six times for me.
E Slack, L’Isle Jourdain, France
Look up on any clear night
Where can one find a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth?
Our lives are (for each one of us) the greatest show here on earth. The paradox is that we each have the starring role but also a front-row seat as life unfolds. Enjoy!
Avril Taylor, Dundas, Ontario, Canada
• Any major opera house, although that raises a further question: can I borrow enough money to buy the ticket?
Nicholas Houghton, Folkestone, UK
• Come to Rottnest Island, Western Australia, sit comfortably, sip a drink, and watch the brilliant sunsets over the Indian Ocean.
Marilyn Hamilton, Perth, Western Australia
• Personally, I’m more comfortable sitting a couple of rows back, feeling less vulnerable to being dragged on stage.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• Outdoors, away from bright lights, on any clear night: look up.
Graham Farr, Melbourne, Australia
• On the space shuttle when the next large asteroid hits our planet.
David Turner, Bellevue Heights, South Australia
• Seeing as it’s the one playing all around you and admission is free, it should not be too difficult.
Maurice Trapp, Le Vigan, France
• At Gullifloss in Iceland, at dawn in spring.
RM Fransson, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, US
Any answers?
Is resistance futile?
RM Fransson, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, US
What customer behavior in supermarkets do you find most irksome?
John Geffroy, Las Vegas, New Mexico, US
Send answers to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com
