I have a report for you, Madame Bacchus

"My honour was not yielded, but conquered merely." -- Cleopatra

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I thank Madame Agnetha Bacchus, a retired Belgian-American language teacher, who goaded me to find out if Cleopatra was real and not a hoax; and if she was Egyptian as what some historians have claimed since time immemorial.
"I knew that there was a 1963 film about Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, but I am intrigued if she really existed. In the first place, what was she doing there in Rome when Caesar was assassinated, if historians were correct?" Madame Bacchus quipped.
Madame Bacchus, who lives in Manhattan, learned while browsing the internet that aside from writing sports stories, I also wrote some "human interest" stories, scandals, politics, crimes, history, among other subject matters. 
For her, I will write a piece of brief history about Cleopatra and some of the myths that have badgered her name.
"I want a piece of your mind about this woman Cleopatra," Madame Bacchus dared me.

ARTICLE

I haven't talked to Madame Bacchus for a long time now, but I am confident she will be able to read this article on her iPad.
Madame Bacchus, I learned--and was able to confirm--that Cleopatra was not a myth. 
Like other historical figures, she once walked on this planet.
And she wasn't Egyptian!
She may have been queen of Egypt, but she was actually Greek, according to the Fascinating Book of History.
Though her family had called Egypt home for hundreds of years, their lineage was linked to a general in Alexander the Great's army named Ptolemy who had come from Macedonia, an area in present day Greece, it was learned.
And she wasn't pretty? Hmmm.
"Cleopatra wasn't a vision of beauty," the book insisted.
"Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. In ancient times, there were no camera's, but people of Cleopatra's stature and wealth could have their likenesses sculpted," the book further claimed. "If the image on an ancient Roman coin is believed to be accurate, then Cleopatra was endowed with a large, hooked nose and was as cheeky as a chipmunk."

LOVE

Some historians claimed that Julius Caesar allowed Cleopatra to remain queen of Egypt because he loved her.
The fact showed that though not married, Cleopatra did bear Caesar a son, Caesarion. 
"However, that was hardly reason enough to hand over an entire country to her," the book stressed. "Most likely, Caesar felt that any male rule would pose a formidable threat to his empire, whereas Cleopatra was a safer alternative to rule Egypt."
Another myth: Cleopatra died from the bite of an asp after learning of Marc Anthony's death.
Fact: It's unknown exactly how or why Cleopatra committed suicide. According to legend, after hearing of the death of her lover, she had two poisonous asps brought to her in a basket of figs.
The person who found the expired Cleopatra noted two small marks on her arm, but the snakes in question were never located.
"Cleopatra may very well have been distraught about her lover's demise, but it is more likely that rumors she was about to be captured, chained, and exhibited in the streets of Rome drove her to suicide," the book surmised.