the inevitable conflict between Athens and Minos, as well as the impending doom that looms over King Aegeus and his people. The decree from Minos establishes a high-stakes situation where Athens must confront the repercussions of its actions, specifically the death of Minos's son, Androgeos. This moment raises questions about what tribute will be demanded and who will ultimately be affected, especially since King Aegeus appears to be hiding a significant truth regarding his own son. The tension builds as the council of elders is unaware of Aegeus's secret, creating an atmosphere of foreboding and expectation for the tragic events to unfold and the fate of Athens to be determined.
Read the passage from "Cruel Tribute.”
"Now then," said Minos, "you shall hear my decree. Athens has robbed me of my dearest treasure, a treasure that can never be restored to me; so, in return, I require from Athens, as tribute, that possession which is the dearest and most precious to her people; and it shall be destroyed cruelly as my son was destroyed."
"The condition is hard," said the elders, "but it is just. What is the tribute which you require?"
"Has the king a son?" asked Minos.
The face of King Aegeus lost all its color and he trembled as he thought of a little child then with its mother at Troezen, on the other side of the Saronic Sea. But the elders knew nothing about that child, and they answered:
"Alas, no! he has no son; but he has fifty nephews who are eating up his substance and longing for the time to come when one of them shall be king; and, as we have said, it was they who slew the young prince, Androgeos."
By placing this passage at the beginning of the story, the author builds suspense for the arrival of
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