essay question pandora's box

A Summary and Analysis of the ‘Pandora’s Box’ Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The story or myth of ‘Pandora’s box’ is slightly unusual among Greco-Roman myths in having its origins – at least its written origins – not in the work of Homer or later myth-collectors like the great Roman poet Ovid, but in the Greek didactic poet Hesiod, who tells the story of Pandora’s box in his Works and Days , a poem composed in around 700 BC.

Hesiod is our source for the myth of Pandora’s box, and it’s revealing that the story first appears in a poem that was written with the intention of instructing the Greeks in how to live their lives and till the fields. The myth continues to inspire new poetry .

Pandora’s box: summary

Before we offer a summary of the story of Pandora’s box, and analyse its meaning, it’s best to do a bit of myth-busting of our own: ‘Pandora’s box’ wasn’t actually a box. Pandora’s ‘box’ was actually Pandora’s jar. It only became a box in the sixteenth century, when the Dutch scholar Erasmus mistranslated the ancient Greek word πίθος or pithos (‘jar’); Erasmus confused it with another Greek word πυξίς or pyxis (‘box’). So it’s Erasmus we have to thank for Pandora’s ‘box’, which is more properly a jar.

In Hesiod, then, it’s a jar that Pandora opens. But who was Pandora, and what was she doing with a jar?

Hesiod’s Works and Days provides a mythic origin story for the need to work in life, then, which might be likened to the Judaeo-Christian story of Adam having to till the fields following his expulsion from the Garden of Eden (we will return to this parallel in a moment). But it’s more than just an almanac or instruction-manual. It’s a unique hodgepodge of these, myth, fable, creation story, and much else.

Hesiod wrote Works and Days for his brother, Perses. Hesiod lays out the meaning of the Pandora myth with admirable clarity by pairing it with the story of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods to give to man. (Hesiod’s poem is also, by the way, our oldest source for the Prometheus story as well as the Pandora myth.)

The tale of Prometheus is well-known because it explains how mankind came into possession of fire, thus enabling man to form civilisations. Prometheus served up some ox for his cousin, Zeus, and the other gods, as well as for the first men.

Prometheus, known for his cunning, served up the ox in two ways: to Zeus and the other gods, he offered up the ox’s stomach, which didn’t look very appealing as you can imagine. Inside the stomach, he had concealed the meat and entrails rich in fat, as well as the fleshy skin of the ox.

Meanwhile, to the men, Prometheus served up the ox’s bones, which he had concealed beneath a tasty-looking layer of the animal’s fat.

Zeus was annoyed. Why had Prometheus given the juicy-looking portions to the mere mortals, while he and the other deities were being served up nothing but the ox’s stomach? He called out Prometheus on this. Prometheus invited Zeus to choose whichever of the two servings he would prefer, in that case.

But Zeus was too canny to be tricked, and promptly inspected the fatty bones and stomach full of juicy meat. Realising Prometheus had meant to trick him, he grew angry with his cousin for trying to give the juicy portions of the ox to mere men, and as retribution, Zeus denied man the power of fire.

Because Prometheus had tried to trick the gods, Zeus devised a punishment for mankind that would let evil into the world. And this is where the story of Pandora and her box – or rather, jar – comes in.

This punishment took the form of the first woman, Pandora, whose name means ‘All-Gifts’, because Zeus got Hermes, the messenger of the gods, to deliver to man via Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus didn’t heed the warning.

Pandora unstopped a jar Epimetheus had in his possession for safe-keeping, the jar containing all the toils and sicknesses and other unspecified evils, and in taking the lid off the jar, Pandora let them out into the world.

Pandora’s box: analysis

It is worth thinking about the end of the myth and the idea that hope is the last thing remaining in the box – or, rather, in the jar.

This actually makes what seems like a clear and powerful myth somewhat muddled: if Pandora’s opening of the jar let out all of the evils so they went roaming into the world, surely it would make more sense to let hope out too, so it could go out into the world and counter them?

Keeping hope locked up in the jar is a bit like infecting the atmosphere with a deadly virus and locking the antidote up in a drawer somewhere. Surely the antidote should be out there in the world, making people better?

But one way to resolve this apparent inconsistency is to say that the jar represents humankind’s control over things, and whilst they cannot control the ills of the world once they have been let out into the world, they can keep hope alive inside – whereas to let that out too would be to see it dissipated and dissolved into the air.

But was ‘hope’ really the last thing left in Pandora’s box (sorry, jar)? The word Hesiod uses is Elpis (Ἔλπις), which can mean ‘hope’ but is often also translated as meaning ‘expectation’. Despite the similar meanings of the two words, they are, after all, not precise synonyms – so it may be that ‘expectation’ rather than ‘hope’ was the last thing left in the jar (rather than box).

The myth of Pandora’s box – or Pandora’s jar – is very much the ‘Fall of Man’ story for the ancient Greeks, the pagan equivalent of the story of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis.

In the Book of Genesis, the serpent famously tells ‘the woman’ (i.e., Eve) that she and Adam will not die if they eat of the tree of knowledge, as they had been warned by God would happen; rather, eating of the forbidden fruit will enable them to know what good and evil are and they will be like gods. Eve is won over by this argument, with her curiosity concerning the fruits of the tree of knowledge leading her to view the fruit as a gateway to wisdom, if eaten. This is much like the curiosity of Pandora in the Greek myth.

Of course, Eve eats from the tree and gives Adam some of the fruit to eat too. Their eyes are immediately opened, and they are ashamed of their nakedness, and fashion fig leaves to make themselves ‘aprons’ to cover their nakedness. God appears walking in the garden, and Adam and Eve promptly hide themselves. Knowledge, it turns out, is not all it is cracked up to be.

As a result of their curiosity, Adam and Eve will now be mortal, and will die, as God told them they would. Famously, God tells Adam, ‘for dust thou art , and unto dust shalt thou return’ (3:19). So one can draw a number of parallels between Pandora, the first woman, and Eve, the first woman.

Consider just a few of the similarities between the two tales. Both stories share a number of key features: they are both about how ‘evil’ comes into a world where it was previously unknown; they both attempt to explain why man must work for a living rather than sit about enjoying himself; they are both about the dangers of curiosity or seeking to know too much; and they both lay the blame for letting evil into the world squarely (and somewhat unfairly) at the feet of the first created woman, Pandora/Eve.

Discover the truth about more classic Greek stories with our post about the beauty of Helen of Troy and our discussion of the Trojan Horse that probably was no horse, wooden or otherwise, at all.

6 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of the ‘Pandora’s Box’ Myth”

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I think this story teaches us that human curiosity and impulse can lead to disaster. It emphasizes the importance of caution, heeding warnings, and moderate control of one’s desires. This can also be seen as an allegory for the inherent weakness of human beings, warning people to remain rational and cautious when facing temptation.

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World History Edu

• Greek Mythology

Pandora’s Box: Origin Story, Meaning, Ancient Greek Myths, and Significance

by World History Edu · May 16, 2021

Greek myth of Pandora

Take an in-depth look at how the first woman Pandora was created, as well as how one particular gift that the Greek gods bestowed upon her become humanity’s worst nightmare.

Meaning of the metaphor

The phrase “Pandora’s Box” is used whenever a simple situation or event quickly takes a turn for the worse, resulting in a series of ceaseless and uncontrollable complications. The origin of the phrase emerged from ancient Greek mythology about how the first woman created by the gods unleashed misery on the earth, thereby ending humanity’s Golden Age.

Creation of Pandora in Hesiod’s epic poems

Ancient Greek poet Hesiod is credited with writing the epic poems Works and Days and Theogony . Most likely written in the 7 th century BC, the two poems contain the story of Pandora’s Box and how the holder, Pandora, unknowingly released into the world all manners of misery and evils.

The story recounts how the Greek Titan Prometheus – a fire god and god of trickery – stole the sacred fire from the abode of the gods on Mt. Olympus. Prometheus, who in many cases is seen as the creator of men, was a benevolent deity. He desired nothing than to share the gift of fire with his creation, mortal men.

Enraged by Prometheus’ bold defiance, Zeus , the king of the gods, decides to even out the scale. He orders his son Hephaestus , the Greek god of fire and divine craftsmen, to create a woman out of earth.

According to Hesiod, once the woman, Pandora, was created, the gods bestowed numerous gifts upon her, including good looks, charm, wits, curiosity, and the ability to tell lies. For example, the Greek goddess Athena gifted Pandora an elegant dress and showed her how to make clothes. Aphrodite , the goddess of love and beauty, showered copious amounts of grace on her. This explains why her name “Pandora” came to mean “all gifted” or “she who gives all gifts”.

Read More:  9 Most Famous Epic Poems of All Time

Zeus’ gift to Pandora

When it came to Zeus’ turn to give Pandora a gift, the king of the gods gave Pandora a jar (or box) so elegantly designed that it instantly caught the attention of Pandora.

Unbeknownst to Pandora, Zeus had placed in the box all kinds of human toil, sufferings and evils. He also placed the spirit of hope in the box.

Pandora and Epimetheus

With Pandora all set and ready, Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus, a titan and the brother of Prometheus. Zeus was fully aware that Epimetheus would fall head over heels for Pandora.

In spite of Prometheus’ stern warning, Epimetheus went ahead and married Pandora (“sender of gifts”), making her the first bride of the human race.

Pandora’s curiosity gets the better of her

One thing ancient Greek gods were good at was acting in a very cunning and sly manner. This trait of theirs often times wreaked immense havoc on the race of men. One such case was the one with Pandora.

When creating Pandora, the gods (Zeus) purposely placed in her loads of curiosity and the propensity to lie. Zeus then went ahead to intentionally make his gift – Pandora’s Box – look very catching on the eye.

Therefore it came as no surprise that Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her, making her very eager to see the contents that Zeus had placed in the box. No sooner had she opened the box than did she see the grave mistake she had made. According to the poet Hesiod, an awful lot of misery and evil immediately came out of the box and spread to all four corners of the world.

The end of humanity’s Golden Age

Prior to the 16th century AD, the phrase used was “Pandora’s Jar” and not Pandora’s Box | Image: James Gillray cartoon, 1809

Just as dark clouds of misery engulfed the world, Pandora marshaled a bit of strength and shut the box close. All that was left in the box was the spirit of hope (known as “Elpis”).

The evil contents of the box in effect brought an end to the Golden Age of humanity . The ancient Greeks believed that prior to Pandora’s coming the race of men were prosperous and lived in a completely harmonious environment.  

Pandora’s Box: Meaning and Significance of the myth

The ancient Greek myth of Pandora’s Box was the ancient Greeks’ way of making sense of the world around them. The ancient Greeks, perhaps like many other civilizations before and after them, always pondered the meaning of life. They must have been bedeviled with the age-old question: Where did all the misery and suffering in the world come from? This is where Pandora’s Box myth comes to play.

Ancient Greeks reasoned that in order to navigate through the ills of this world, humans ought to work. Pandora’s coming threw a wrench into a perfectly harmonious and prosperous system (i.e. humanity’s Golden Age). It was Zeus’ way of exacting punishment on mortal men for graciously receiving fire from Prometheus.

Therefore, Pandora’s Box can be seen as the steep price the world pays for all the benefits that we get from “fire”. Even for an ancient civilization as that of ancient Greeks, fire was extremely important. As a matter of fact, the hearth in the homes of ancient Greeks was considered a very sacred place, as it was vital in keeping the home warm and meeting other domestic needs. They believed that quenching the fire at the hearth could spell doom for the home and city.

The above explains why Zeus was incensed after Prometheus stole the sacred fire from Mt. Olympus.

• Hestia – the Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Sacrificial Flame
• Greek goddess Artemis: Birth, Myths, Meaning, & Symbols  
• Demeter: the Greek goddess of agriculture and grains

To modern civilizations like ours, “fire” encompasses knowledge, science and technology. The very inventions that were meant to bring us improved health and advance the course of our civilizations become the very instruments that poison our water, choke the air, and kill the land.

Similarities between Pandora and Eve

In Abrahamic religions, Eve is recognized as the first woman created by God. One cannot help but notice a striking resemblance between the story of Eve and that of Pandora. In both cases, a race of [naïve and/or innocent] men (Adam from a Biblical perspective) lived in a habitat that was pristine and free from all evils. The demise of that habitat ( Garden of Eden ) only occurs the moment the first woman was introduced. We can thank the high levels of misogyny in those ancient cultures for interpreting the beginning of human race in that manner.

Regardless, both stories are classic retelling of how humanity lost the grace of the gods (or God) by falling prey to the deception of a cunning being. In the case of those Abrahamic religions, that cunning being could be depicted as Lucifer (Satan), the bringer of knowledge and evil.

Significance of Hermes in Greek mythology

Interesting facts about Pandora’s Box

Pandora’s Box | Portrait: John William Waterhouse, 1896

Starting around the 16th century AD, authors and mythologists began using the phrase “Pandora’s Box” instead of “Pandora’s jar”. This change most likely stemmed from a mistranslation by Rotterdam-born humanist Erasmus. It must be noted that in the Greek word that Hesiod used (in his epic poems) “pithos” translates into a large storage jar.

Lilius Giraldus of Ferrara was another 16th-century writer who mistranslated the word “pithos” to mean casket (“pyxis”). This explains why we sometimes see “Pandora’s Casket” or “Pandora’s Box” in literature works.

In some accounts of the story, Hermes , the Greek messenger god and inventor, was the one who created Pandora out of the earth.

Many scholars have opined that Hesiod’s Theogony was undoubtedly inspired by similar tales from much older civilizations (than ancient Greece) in the Mesopotamian region.

Over the centuries, a slightly different account of the story gained some bit of popularity. Proponents of this account state that Pandora’s jar did not contain great misery and evil as it is widely believed. Rather the jar had only good things placed in it. The story goes on to say that those good things could have gone to the human race had they not been let to escape into the vast cosmos. As a result, humanity was left with the only content that stayed in the box, i.e. the spirit of hope.

Her  Roman name was Anesidora, which means “she who sends gifts”. This name was also used to describe several goddesses and mythological figures, including Demeter , the goddess of the grains and harvest, and Gaea (Gaia), the goddess of the earth.

Tags: Epimetheus Garden of Eden Hesiod Hesiod's Theogony Pandora Pandora's box Prometheus Zeus

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Interesting. I think it is about s*x or m*asturbation. (One article I read elsewhere gave me the idea) Her being the “first bride,” “first woman,” and so curious she “opened the box/jar,” (i.e: m*ting) plus the greeks generally being misogynistic in ancient times, says it all. Classic patriarchy is reducing women to s*x objects and saying they birth all evils, ‘selfishly’ keeping the gift of life to themselves. (I.e: hope was left in the box, aka her womb)

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Reason and Meaning

Philosophical reflections on life, death, and the meaning of life, hope and pandora’s box.

In Greek mythology , Pandora was the first human woman created by the gods. Zeus ordered her to be molded out of earth as part of humanity’s punishment for Prometheus’ theft of the secret of fire. According to the myth, the gods gave her a jar that contained all the evils of the World and ordered her not to open it.

Nonetheless, Pandora opened the jar (in modern accounts often mistranslated as “ Pandora’s box “) releasing all the evils that visit humanity like pain and suffering, leaving only hope (expectation) inside once she had closed it again. (Most scholars translate the Greek word elpis as “expectation.”) The Pandora myth is a theodicy —an attempt to explain why evil exists in the world. (The idiom “to open a Pandora’s box”, means to do or start something that will cause many unforeseen problems.)

The key question is how to interpret the myth. Is the imprisonment of hope inside the jar a benefit for humanity, or a further bane? If hope is another evil , then we should be thankful that hope was withheld. The idea is that by hoping for or expecting a good life that we can never have, we prolong our torment. Thus it is better to live without hope, and it is good that hope remained in the jar. But if hope is good , then its imprisonment makes life even more dreary and insufferable. In this case, all the evils were scattered from the jar, while the one potentially mitigating force, hope, remains locked inside. However, this latter interpretation causes us to wonder why this good hope was in the jar of evils in the first place. To this question, I have no answer.

But I do have another interpretation. Perhaps hope is good,  and it is good that it remained in the jar. Perhaps hope was originally another evil but after being opened hope was transformed into good hope. It’s as if hope, separated from evil, takes on a new character. So its preservation in the jar preserves this good hope which can then (somehow) be accessed when needed. I grant this is a strained interpretation.

Still, my interpretation depends on understanding hope, not as an expectation, but as an attitude that leads us to act rather than despair. This is the good kind of hope preserved in the jar. To better understand this, remember the words of Aeschylus  from his tragedy, Prometheus Bound . Prometheus’ two great gifts to humanity are hope and fire. Hope aids our struggle for a better future while fire, the source of technology, makes success in that struggle possible. Hope, in fact, is the first gift that Aeschylus mentions.

Chorus : Did you perhaps go further than you have told us? Prometheus – I stopped mortals from foreseeing their fate. Chorus – What kind of cure did you discover for this sickness? Prometheus – I established in them blind hopes. Chorus – This is a great benefit you gave to men.

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29 thoughts on “ hope and pandora’s box ”.

“Most scholars translate the Greek word elpis as “expectation.” I am a bit baffled. “Expectation” is “προσδοκία” (prosdokia) in Greek, which has a not too subtly different meaning. Το hope/να ελπίζεις is more abstract, kind of arbitrary, less concrete. To expect/να προσδοκάς is more solid, more concrete and focused (usually on one target, rather than many or in an abstract or existential sense), more clear.

I largely agree with your interpretation of hope in contrast to despair, regarding Pandora’s myth. “Hope/ελπίς/ελπίδα” in Greek has the same meaning, while “expectation/προσδοκία” does not. And I think hope can be both good and bad. It is good when it is restrained, moderated, draws us away from despair and gets us back on our feet. It is bad when it is raw, blind, very enthusiastic, untamed and untempered*. In short, even hope requires moderation, or, ideally, some sort of “golden mean” between hope and despair (see : Aristotle’s Nicomachean & Eudemian Ethics).

So whether the particular hope that remained in Pandora’s “box” was good or bad would depend on what kind of hope it was, in my opinion.

*And I would hazard a guess that the latter kind of hope is the one Nietzsche condemned in Human All Too Human with words like “in reality it is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of man”.

Thanks for you insights, especially sharing the meanings of the Greek.

I’m going with Nietzsche’s interpretation. Hope was in the jar of evils. And it is always a false hope. Prolongs our torment.

“Hope aids our struggle for a better future while fire, the source of technology, makes success in that struggle possible.”

This is an interesting sentence for me. I think hope can either be a positive or negative. Mostly I side with Nietzsche on this but I do hold out a shred of hope for mankind via technology. Arthur Koestler in his book The Ghost in the Machine felt the only hope for mankind considering our horrific history of creating suffering for ourselves and other life forms was that somehow we could create a drug or technology that would rewire or correct our emotional disconnect from our intellect. Or something like that. A nice thought and one that might give hope when most hope is lost but there is one hurdle that must be overcome for this to work out. That is that we are hoping that a broken mind can fix itself. I lose hope daily on this the more I come to understand my own species. I think it was Koestler and his wife that committed suicide together. IMO he was one of the good guys and underrated as a thinker.

i’ll be exploring more of these transhumanist themes in forthcoming posts. they are explored in depth on the website. JGM

John, what are your thoughts on aesop’s fables explanation below? My thoughts are that Zeus has been planning to destroy humanity and thus took all the gifts that humans were given and collected them into a jar given to Pandora- knowing that her human curiosity would get the better of her. She opened the jar and those gifts were released and flew back to the gods.. leaving humans with the absence of them. So, the jar had contained good health, everlasting youth, purity, sound mind, ease, etc. And when they left, it wasn’t that “evils” were really released onto humanity, but now that we didn’t have those gifts (as the gods now did), we were burdened with what existed in their absence-> sickness, old age, sin, madness, drudgery. Etc. Does that make sense? What do you think?

“Zeus gathered all the useful things together in a jar and put a lid on it. He then left the jar in human hands. But man had no self-control and he wanted to know what was in that jar, so he pushed the lid aside, letting those things go back to the abode of the gods. So all the good things flew away, soaring high above the earth, and Elpis (Hope) was the only thing left. When the lid was put back on the jar, Elpis (Hope) was kept inside. That is why Elpis (Hope) alone is still found among the people, promising that she will bestow on each of us the good things that have gone away.”

Aesop, Fables 526 (from Babrius 58) (trans. Gibbs) (Greek fable C6th B.C.)

Why is Prometheus only punished for sharing FIRE with mortals/humans, and not also punished for sharing HOPE (expectations)? What is the link here, then, that the Gods saw fit to punish Prometheus for releasing FIRE and there are no Godly repercussions for Pandora retaining HOPE in the jar (after, that is, Prometheus gave it to us without recourse)? A double-standard? Misogynistic retelling/interpretations of Pandora (and parallels to Judaeo/Christian-Eve) notwithstanding, is it a Godly good that we are NOT given Expectations/Hopes to rise-up/better our-selves/challenge the Gods, etc. for example, ASWELL as being given the means (to rise/challenge) ie. FIRE?

Isn’t it funny that You will turn over a jar when you hope there is something left.

Hope is good… Nietsche’s opinion is silly, probably his greek was not good…Hope is not expectation, hope is hope and hope does not mean “passive awaiting for sth, excluding personal action”….We often say in Greek “I hope you heal soon”, “I hope all will turn out well”…Does not mean passive awaiting…

I go into great detail on my understanding of hope in many of my posts. And the hope I recommend also isn’t passive but a spur to actions. JGM

Thanks to you both John and Nikolas, I never viewed it from that end…but even Hope has to be moderated….. Hope is best as an antidote against despair…Hope is not Good if overly optimistic and too exuberant..kind of Stoic..but a brilliant insight

So many Parallels here….Kind of reminds me of the myth of Icaraus–How the young man is able to get the wings to get him off the Island…his exuberance at flying leads him to attempt an overreach—flying too close to the Sun….Prometheus’s fire from the gods..inspires a glowing hope of mankind……all of this requires a Nichomachean moderation…..Keep in my mind that No effort would have been attempted without an excess of exuberance…..Hope has hope…but keep your Hopes within Reason

Some Buddhist thought to add to your Greek

“Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can’t simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment. We feel that someone else knows what is going on, but that there is something missing in us, and therefore something is lacking in our world.”

Hope and fear is a feeling with two sides. As long as there’s one, there’s always the other. This is the root of our pain. In the world of hope and fear, we always have to change the channel, change the temperature, change the music, because something is getting uneasy, something is getting restless, something is beginning to hurt, and we keep looking for alternatives.

In a nontheistic state of mind, abandoning hope is an affirmation, the beginning of the beginning. You could even put “Abandon hope” on your refrigerator door instead of more conventional aspirations like “Every day in every way I’m getting better and better.”

(From Pema Chodron’s book When Things Fall Apart.)

How did ‘Hope’ get into Pandora’s Box in the first instasnce. Who put it in amongst all the evils.

“the gods gave her a jar that contained all the evils of the World and ordered her not to open it.”

Hope springs eternal even inside Pandora’sJar. Sealed for eternity like ot is inherent in humankind, there for every dream and action you take.

I think we’re missing something. I believe pandora represents all mankind. Mankind released evil on the world and the jar is our body. He hold hope inside us.

If you think about it, its the same story as adam and eve and the apple. Pandora is Eve and opening the box is the same as eating the apple. Evil was unleashed that day. Now I personally believe that the jar represents our bodies. By trapping hope in the jar then we never lost hope.

Will beats Hope every day of the week.

Nietzsche was spot on, Hope is a feel good delusion, if you desire one outcome over another then work towards that outcome, just hoping things turn out your way is insane….”Hope for the best, PREPARE for the worst”, humans really are our own worst enemy.

“Hope you feel better soon”, ” I hope things get better for you”….Oh there’s so much meaningless garbage we say to make ourselves feel better….How about for a change we say “Is there anything i can do to help”

Remember hope is requisite for Judeo-Christian belief. For Nietzsche hope, God’s atonement, the afterlife etc. are all related. Thus hope becomes a bane for nihilists such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Plato and Aristotle saw hope as being mostly neutral and somewhat negative (though as with most things Aristotelian the golden mean can make it positive), the Stoics negative and others viewed it more positively. But keep in mind their definition of hope was different since it predated the Judeo Christian heritage. Hope was more like anticipation, as in, ‘I’m anticipating what I think is next’. Given that interpretation it is more neutral. It can give you confidence or lead you to ruin. Post Nietzsche, the view on hope seems to lean negative as well; it’s wishful thought, not nesc. rational contemplation. Though depending again on the philosophers views on religion it could be both positive and required. Personal favorite, “Take the cash and let the credit go” -Khayyam

If interested I’ve written a lot on the site about hope.

Somewhere along the way we have caught a vision of how things can be. How, then, can we help but have hope? It is, of course, folly to expect to remain within that rapture forever, but surely we have legitimate reason to believe that, just possibly, things can be better.

i agree, things could get better. at least i hope so!

I see it this way: Hope/Expectation is an evil. It keeps us from acting and making our future, rather holding us back in passivity. But all the other evils are out IN the world. But Hope stayed inside. The jar being a synonym for the inner world. Our human inside. So the evil is within us and stayed with us, rather than being spilled to the outside world.

What do you think?

Nice interpretation. I distinguish hope from expectation in my work. Hope as expectation I’m no fan of. But the kind of hope that promotes action (as opposed to despair) I think is important .

I tend to agree (mostly) with the last interpretation. Hope is not something that can inflict itself upon us like the other evils of the jar, but something we inflict upon ourselves. Hope is a far more insidious evil which finds greater purchase when held close and considered a friend. It stayed behind because this is where it could do the most damage.

True hopes are deep desires we keep close to our chest. They drive us to action (or inaction) towards a variably unpredictable and often unattainable end; as predictable or attainable ends do not require hope. Action for hope sake cannot be presumed to be beneficial. Hope breeds expectation, and expectation in turn breeds disappointment and ultimately despair when “all hope is lost”.

True hope is distinguished from false hope, which one could simply define as being synonymous with well wishing (or ill in some cases). Something we say when we feel we should say something but doesn’t actually represent a personal desire. If we truly hoped someone felt better, we would be trying to nurse them back to health instead of just wishing them well.

Despair is not the default state of the hopeless. To be hopeless, is to be without expectation and open to what is, not blinded by what we hope will be. Despair, I would argue, is the end stage of the terminally hopeful. It’s only through acceptance that we can find a path to peace, albeit not always an easy one.

thanks for sharing your thoughts about hope. Also, I’ve written extensively about hope on the blog if interested. See for example,” Hope and Meaning .”

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The myth of Pandora’s box

The myth of Pandora’s box is considered one of the most descriptive myths of human behavior in Greek mythology. Ancient Greeks used this myth not only to instruct themselves about the weaknesses of humans, but also to explain several misfortunes of the human race.

Pandora, the first woman on Earth

Pandora was, according to the myth, the first woman on Earth. She was created by Gods; each one of them gave her a gift, thus, her name in Greek means “the one who bears all gifts”.

Pandora was created as a punishment to the mankind; Zeus wanted to punish people because Prometheus stole the fire to give it to them. Her gifts were beautifully evil, according to Hesiod. Hephaestus created her from clay, shaping her perfectly, Aphrodite gave her femininity and Athena taught her crafts. Hermes was ordered by Zeus to teach her to be deceitful, stubborn and curious.

Pandora’s box

Pandora was given a box or a jar, called “pithos” in Greek. Gods told her that the box contained special gifts from them but she was not allowed to open the box ever. Then Hermes took her to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus, to be his wife. Prometheus had advised Epimetheus not to accept anything from the Gods, but he saw Pandora and was astonished by her beauty, thus he accepted her right away.

Pandora was trying to tame her curiosity, but at the end she could not hold herself anymore; she opened the box and all the illnesses and hardships that gods had hidden in the box started coming out. Pandora was scared, because she saw all the evil spirits coming out and tried to close the box as fast as possible, closing Hope inside.

According to Hesiod Hope indeed stayed inside because that was Zeus’ will; he wanted to let people suffer in order to understand that they should not disobey their gods. Pandora was the right person to do it, because she was curious enough, but not malicious.

The myth of Pandora’s box has been fascinating people since ever, catching the imagination of countless artists, who created frescos, mosaics and sculptures depicting Pandora and the mythological elements. The myth itself though appears in many different versions; the most distinctive difference is that in some myths Hope does come out. The main purpose of the myth of Pandora though is to address the question of why evil exists in the world.

The birth of Pandora was represented on the pedestal of the statue of Athena situated at the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

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71 comments.

Always love how Christians label anything outside of their own belief as a “myth” but their own religion is “absolute truth.” I doubt the people of Greece during that time considered their worship, of the different Gods, as a myth.

Even the first commandment of the Christian bible states, ” Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” Notice it did not say there are no other Gods.

Verses from the Bible that refut the statement that there are other gods: 1 Kings 8:60 — That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 1 Timothy 2:5 — For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Hosea 13:4 — Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me; for there is no savior beside me. 1 Chronicles 17:20 — O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Actually, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all called “Monotheistic” for a reason. They believe in one God. Well let’s start that commandments come from the Old Testament – Bible to Jews and Christians. Most of the Commandments make sense and are found in other religions or belief systems – Do not Murder. Do not Steal. Don not lie. etc. I believe that most modern Christians and Jews are NOT biblical absolutists. That is, we realize that some of the harsh laws from two thousands of years ago, have no real basis in science or rational discourse today – and some of the stories are meant to be allegories – lessons not always to be taken literally. But yes, one of the Commandments is – Do not worship false idols. But if you are a monotheist and are a Jew, Christian or Muslim – One God is your belief system. And the notion that making gods of “people” is bad is the morally right position – and today that could mean celebrities or Politicians – I think that’s a good idea to prefer to worship God – whatever you may envision that to be – and not a flawed human. When you replace our God with say, humans like a Mao or Hitler or Stalin – we’ve seen some pretty nasty, deadly outcomes – millions of dead in their wake.

Hi my name is Suriya Reddy and Im from South Afirca ,Durban,Chatsworth.I am going to do a project on how to make Pandora’s box.

So if Pandora was the first woman on Earth how come she was created as a punishment for the mankind? Which mankind?

She was created for the men to lust over which would also be seen as a distraction

I realize that you wrote this a loong time ago, I think you are trying to blend a bible story (Adam and Eve) with Greek mythology. Just like Eve was the first woman in the bible, Pandora was the first woman in Greek mythology. In the bible Adam was the first man and God (singular) created Eve as a companion. Greek mythos the Gods (plural) created Pandora for Men (plural). Hope that helps you and any others that may read this.

Nope, similarities are not the author’s fault. He simply explained the myth as it was written.

This article was written quite poorly. In the Works and Days, there were expressly multiple generations previous.

Pandora wasn’t ever described as the first woman nor even as a mother by Hesiod. She was merely a weapon the gods sent to punish the degeneration of man. (The list of traits that they gave her included beauty from Aphrodite)

I mean, you have a point. Like guys and gurls, think bout it for a sec…

HI MY NAME IS NIRANYA CHAMODA RATHNAYAKE AND I AM FROM SRI LANKA AND AT SCHOOL I AM STUDYING ABOUT GREEK MYTHS + GREEK CIVILIZATION AND THIS ARTICLE IS WELL THE BEST

I have often asked people , who opened Pandora’s box ? It surprised me of the large number of people who did not know or had never heard of the myth .

This was a very informational article and it was interesting to read about. I’m doing an essay about Greek Mythology, and I had chosen Pandora’s Box considering the fact that it was the only Greek myth I knew about. I read more into Greek Myths and found some other stories I was interested in. But, ya can’t go back when you have a teacher as strict as mine UwU. This explained the myth of Pandora’s Box and informed me more of what I needed, which will definitely come in handy when writing this essay. Have a nice life rando ppl I don’t know!

I have always read “Hope” remaining differently. The Box is full of EVILS of all kinds. Empty Hope can be an evil. You can “Hope” all you want, but you can’t sit there waiting without doing something about it.

I loved this article and the way it was written. I didn’t know anything about Pandora’s box before. reading this article. Also, reading some of the comments was really helpful in better understanding the specific of this myth, especially the one which specified the difference between this myth as stated in the Bible vs Greek Mythology.

I am 65+…..My generation learned of thIs myth in grade school days and from our parents, songs, churches and TV.

A great myth still today….yet the youth of today mainly know nothing about this….teachings and times have changed so much since I was young. i still have faith in our youth today, however many are disillusioned from schools because of what they are teaching them. It is a lack of Caring from some teachers & a lack of Respect from some of the students, I believe that is greatly hindering solid educations. Some kids graduate from HS & still cannot read & write properly….that is atrocious…..and their Math skill levels are so very low. This is ultra dangerous to the future for them and America. The “FOUR PILLARS” of my youth teachings were ….AND in this exact order—- 1) God……..2) Country……..3) Home …….4) School. These should be stressed, now more than ever from Youth to the Elderly. None of us all should never quit learning.

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Understanding the Significance of Pandora's Box

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A "Pandora's box" is a metaphor in our modern languages, and the proverbial phrase refers to a source of endless complications or trouble arising from a single, simple miscalculation. Pandora's story comes to us from ancient Greek mythology , specifically a set of epic poems by Hesiod , called the Theogony and Works and Days . Written during the 7th century BC, these poems relate how the gods came to create Pandora and how the gift Zeus gave her ultimately ends the Golden Age of humankind.

The Story of Pandora's Box

According to Hesiod, Pandora was a curse on mankind as retribution after the Titan Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humans. Zeus had Hermes hammer the first human woman—Pandora—out of the earth. Hermes made her lovely as a goddess, with the gift of speech to tell lies, and the mind and nature of a treacherous dog. Athena dressed her in silvery clothing and taught her weaving; Hephaestus crowned her with a marvelous golden diadem of animals and sea creatures; Aphrodite poured grace on her head and desire and cares to weaken her limbs.

Pandora was to be the first of a race of women, the first bride and a great misery who would live with mortal men as companions only in times of plenty, and desert them when times became difficult. Her name means both "she who gives all gifts" and "she who was given all gifts". Never let it be said that Greeks had any use for women in general.

All the Ills of the World

Then Zeus sent this beautiful treachery as a gift to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus , who ignored Prometheus's advice to never accept gifts from Zeus. In the house of Epimetheus, there was a jar—in some versions, it too was a gift from Zeus—and because of her insatiable greedy woman's curiosity, Pandora lifted the lid on it.

Out from the jar flew every trouble known to humanity. Strife, sickness, toil and myriad other ills escaped from the jar to afflict men and women forever more. Pandora managed to keep one spirit in the jar as she shut the lid, a timid sprite named Elpis, usually translated as "hope."

Box, Casket or Jar?

But our modern phrase says "Pandora's box": how did that happen? Hesiod said the evils of the world were kept in a "pithos", and that was uniformly employed by all Greek writers in telling the myth until the 16th century AD. Pithoi are huge storage jars that are typically partly buried in the ground. The first reference to something other than a pithos comes from the 16th-century writer Lilius Giraldus of Ferrara, who in 1580 used the word pyxis (or casket) to refer to the holder of evils opened by Pandora. Although the translation was not exact, it is a meaningful error, because a pyxis is a 'whited sepulcher', a beautiful fraud. Eventually, the casket became simplified as "box". 

Harrison (1900) argued that this mistranslation explicitly removed the Pandora myth from its association with All Souls Day, or rather the Athenian version, the festival of Anthesteria . The two-day drinking festival involves opening wine casks on the first day (the Pithoigia), releasing the souls of the dead; on the second day, men anointed their doors with pitch and chewed blackthorn to keep the newly released souls of the departed away. Then the casks were sealed again.

Harrison's argument is bolstered by the fact that Pandora is a cult name of the great goddess Gaia. Pandora is not just any willful creature, she is the personification of Earth itself; both Kore and Persephone, made from the earth and rising from the underworld. The pithos connects her to the earth, the box or casket minimizes her importance.

The Meaning of the Myth

Hurwit (1995) says that the myth explains why humans must work to survive, that Pandora represents the beautiful figure of dread, something for which men can find no device or remedy. The quintessential woman was created to beguile men with her beauty and uncontrollable sexuality, to introduce falsehood and treachery and disobedience into their lives. Her task was to let loose all the evils upon the world while trapping hope, unavailable to mortal men. Pandora is a trick gift, a punishment for the good of Promethean fire, she is, in fact, Zeus's price of fire.

Brown points out that Hesiod's story of Pandora is the icon of archaic Greek ideas of sexuality and economics. Hesiod didn't invent Pandora, but he did adapt the story to show that Zeus was the supreme being who shaped the world and caused the misery of the human lot, and how that caused human descent from the original bliss of a carefree existence.

Pandora and Eve

At this point, you may recognize in Pandora the story of the Biblical Eve. She too was the first woman, and she too was responsible for destroying an innocent, all-male Paradise and unleashing suffering ever after. Are the two related?

Several scholars including Brown and Kirk argue that the Theogony was based on Mesopotamian tales, although blaming a woman for all the evils of the world is definitely more Greek than Mesopotamian. Both Pandora and Eve may well share a similar source.

Edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst

• Brown AS. 1997. Aphrodite and the Pandora Complex . The Classical Quarterly 47(1):26-47.
• Harrison JE. 1900. Pandora's Box. The Journal of Hellenic Studies 20:99-114.
• Hurwit JM. 1995. Beautiful Evil: Pandora and the Athena Parthenos. American Journal of Archaeology 99(2):171-186.
• Kirk GS. 1972. Greek Mythology: Some New Perspectives . The Journal of Hellenic Studies 92:74-85.
• Wolkow BM. 2007. The Mind of a Bitch: Pandora's Motive and Intent in the Erga. Hermes 135(3):247-262.
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Myths — Greek Mythical Character: Goddess Pandora

Greek Mythical Character: Goddess Pandora

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Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 1197 | Pages: 3 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Brown, R. (2007). Retelling Stories, Framing Culture: Traditional Story and Metanarratives in Children's Literature. Routledge.
• Davis, C. (2011). Chasing Davis: An Atheist's Guide to Morality Using Logic and Science. Eloquent Books.
• Edinger, R. E. (1994). The Eternal Drama: The Inner Meaning of Greek Mythology. Inner City Books.
• Hamilton, E. (2013). Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Grand Central Publishing.
• Hesiod. (n.d.). Theogony and Works and Days. (M. L. West, Trans.). Oxford University Press.
• Kerenyi, K. (1951). The Gods of the Greeks. Thames & Hudson.
• Morford, M. P. O., & Lenardon, R. J. (2011). Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press.
• Powell, B. B. (2015). Classical Myth. Pearson.
• Rose, H. J. (2018). A Handbook of Greek Mythology. Routledge.
• Vernant, J. P. (1991). Mortals and Immortals: Collected Essays. Princeton University Press.

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Summary of the myth of pandora’s box.

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The myth of pandora's box - iseult gillespie.

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Pandora was the first mortal woman, breathed into being by Hephaestus, god of fire. The gods gave her gifts of language, craftsmanship and emotion. From Zeus she received two gifts: the trait of curiosity and a heavy box screwed tightly shut -- never to be opened. But what treasure could never be seen by human eyes, and why was it in her care? Iseult Gillespie explores the mystery of Pandora’s box.

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Pandora's Box Myth

Updated 16 September 2022

Subject Greek Mythology

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Category Literature

Topic Pandora'S Box

In Greek mythology, Pandora's box is a symbol of the fate of mankind.

The myth is linked to an artifact that was left to the care of Pandora by her husband, Hesiod. It is said that she opened it out of curiosity, releasing curses on mankind.

The myth of Pandora's box

The myth of Pandora's box is an ancient story. Zeus gave Pandora a box, but told her not to open it. However, Zeus's intention was always for her to open it, and she was tempted by its contents. Now, the story of Pandora's Box is a popular subject of study, especially among scholars.

The myth of Pandora's box has many interpretations. Many writers have written about the story. Some writers have interpreted it to be a story about hopelessness and despair. Others, such as poet Samuel Phelps Leland, have written lyrical poems that reflect the story.

In the myth, Pandora was the first woman created by Zeus as a punishment for humanity. In the box, Zeus put all the evil that could exist in the world. She was also told never to open the box. If she did, she would let all the evil out into the world. However, she never opened the box, and it still contains a portion of hope.

Meaning of Pandora's jar

The meaning of Pandora's box is that a person who makes decisions without considering the consequences can create problems for themselves and the world. It is said that the Greek god Zeus entrusted Pandora with a box, which once opened would let out evil entities into the world. These entities included greed, hatred, disease, war, and poverty. But one good thing was left behind: hope. Though the box was filled with evil, the good things that the gods had created for humanity were left inside, including the possibility of peace and happiness.

According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman ever created. She had a box of evil and misery, and when she opened it, the evils flew into the world, but the box contained hope. Today, the box has come to symbolize endless complications, but it is also a timeless allegory of the tragedies that the world has faced. In Greek mythology, Pandora was created as punishment for Prometheus' sin, when he stole the fire from the Gods. As punishment, the Gods gave Pandora a box of evils, but she refused to open it, and this is where the box came from.

Meaning of Pandora's box as metaphor for world's tragedies

The story of Pandora's box is a familiar one, and has often been referred to in the news. It is also a popular metaphor for violence and destruction. The original myth of the phallic witch is a bit different, with the gods allowing Pandora to open the box and let the contents fall out.

Initially, the box represents personal and familial secrets. Eventually, these secrets become vital parts of relationships. But when a person experiences a traumatic event, the secrecy of the object world compounds the trauma. This is because the person is afraid to open the box and is unsure of reality. In addition, the person may worry about the well-being of objects they love.

The story of Pandora's box

The story of Pandora's box is one of the most famous in ancient Greek mythology. The Greek myth revolves around a woman named Pandora who received a gift from the god Zeus. The gift Pandora received was a gift that ended the Golden Age of humankind. The story is considered one of the most descriptive myths about human behaviour. It also explains the root causes of human tragedies. The story of Pandora's box has captivated the imagination of many artists throughout the centuries and has appeared in different art forms.

Meaning of Pandora's jar as metaphor for world's tragedies

The story of Pandora's jar was first told in the Greek mythology. The god Zeus gave Pandora a beautiful gift, which was not to be opened. However, she ignored his advice and opened the box, unleashing the world's tragedies. The story suggests that curiosity and humanity are in a constant struggle and giving in to curiosity can be disastrous.

Pandora's innocence is often interpreted as an extension of human childish curiosity. This innocence is illustrated in many of the illustrations of the story. Arthur Rackham's Little Pandora depicts a young girl opening an ornamental box. Frederick Stuart Church's famous engraving of a young girl opening a box illustrates this point. Odilon Redon's painting of naked Pandora in 1914 is also a great example of this concept.

Pandora's jar was also a metaphor for human and world tragedies. According to the Greek myth, Zeus created Pandora to punish mankind for disobeying him. Hephaestus, Zeus' messenger, created Pandora for this purpose. The jar was filled with unspecified evils and was released into the world. This punishment also taught humans not to disobey the gods.

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Pandora's Box Essay

The Pandora Box Greek methodology has been one myth which has always caught my attention. On most circumstances, the Pandora Box is described as a source of long but unseen problems or troubles. To me, it is so mesmerizing to imagine that a single person, Pandora, could be answerable to most of the wickedness in the whole universe. The debate about hope being a bad thing or a good thing catches my attention as well. These are just some of the reasons which forced me to select and interpret the Pandora Box myth in my essay.

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The myth states that Pandora is the first human woman created by the gods from clay. Zeus gave the task of creating the human race to Prometheus. Later on, he became unhappy with the penalties levied on the human race and hence ran away with fire from the heavens. The god got angry with this and authorized others deities to make Pandora bestowing beauty upon her. She was then sent to be Epimetheus' wife. The gods awarded Pandora with a storage pot during the wedding, when she unlocked it, a cloud of ills - toil, sickness, and strife- ensnared inside it were all freed. These plagued the humans forever. The only sole blessing which would ease the suffering of man was Elpis (Hope) which remained as she closed the jar. Pyrrha (Fire), who was the only daughter to Pandora survived the Great wrath alongside with her husband. To refill the universe, they were authorized to bear the punishment which led to a new race of women and men.

The traditionary Greeks believed that all evils of the universe were stored inside a pithos, which was considered as a huge vessel for storage and was partially concealed underground. The Greek's belief in this myth led to their practice of a festival known as the Anthesteria. On the first day of the festival, wine casks were opened to release the souls of those who had perished. On the second day which was also the closure of the ceremony, the men daubed their doors with a pitch and gnawed-on blackthorns to evade the new souls who were released. The jars would then be closed. Pandora is believed to be a personification of the universe, created from the earth and rising from the grounds product -clay. She is connected to the earth by the pithos, and the casket minimizes her significance (Gill).

It is believed that Pandora's creation had a goal of acting as a punishment to the human race by the gods. The myth tells why human beings have to toil for survival. Pandora signifies the stunning symbol of trepidation. The lady was created to entice men with her overwhelming sexuality and gorgeousness, and to introduce disobedience, treachery, and falsehood in them. Pandora's role was to loosen all the ills of the universe and trap hope making it inaccessible to man.

The Greek mythology of Pandora's Box is a creation story, a warning, and a theodicy, - a fable which attempts to explain the existence of evil in the universe. Ancient Greeks believed in this myth and applied it in teaching themselves about the feebleness of the human race, and understand the many calamities which humanity faces. The Greeks through their staunch belief in this myth tend to blame the woman for the tribulations of the universe.

Works Cited

Gill, N. "Pandora's Box: Ancient Greeks Blame Women for The World's Suffering." ThoughtCo. N. p., 2018. Web. 7 May 2018.

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Pandora’s Box Story With Moral Lesson And Summary

PANDORA’S BOX STORY  – The story of Pandora’s Box is often told to the young to open their imagination through the summary and moral lessons. This article is about a mythological artifact from ancient Greece; the story is still alive today.

The myth of Pandora’s box is considered to be one of the most descriptive stories among any other stories in Greek mythology. It is a good story for children of all ages since it awakens their imagination and critical thinking.

The story was originally written by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. He wrote this story in 700 BC. It was first reported in a poem to instruct humans to follow the Gods and how to live their lives by cultivating the fields.

Pandora’s Box

Once upon a time, in Ancient Greece, two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus lived. They are both kind men who helped the people in life, like creating fire. Their good works angered the king of the gods. Zeus did not want the people to know such things. As his act of vengeance, Zeus had a beautiful lady created perfectly from clay by Hephaestus as his means of punishing the brothers. Pandora was the name of the woman. She was sent to earth and tasked to meet the brothers. Although Prometheus advised Epimetheus not to accept anything from the Gods, he was astonished by the beauty of Pandora and took her right away. She was very charismatic, and Epimetheus fell for her and married her. The gods sent a box to Epimetheus on their wedding day. The gods sent a message along with the box, never to open it. The gods assumed that Epimetheus would be curious enough to open the box. Despite that, Pandora was trying to subdue her intrusiveness, but in the end, she holds back anymore. She imagined great riches were inside the box, but as soon as she opened the box, she saw nothing but moths. Pandora had let them loose, she hurriedly closed the box, but it was too late. The moths represent the awful things in the world and the illnesses the gods had hidden in the box. Pandora told Epimetheus, her husband, everything as soon as he arrived. She then opened the box for him, and they saw a little moth left in the box, which was hope. They released it to the world. Hope indeed stayed in it due to the will of Zeus. He wanted to let the people know and suffer for them to understand that they should not disappoint their gods. As you probably have figured by now, the expression “to open Pandora’s box” refers to letting out a good deal of unanticipated issues. To open a can of worms is a modern use of this term.

Story Analysis of Pandora’s Box

It is still worthwhile to think that hope remains in the box at the end of the story. It’s a great representation of a great myth. Despite all the evil things being released in the world, a good deal of hope is also unleashed. Hope combats everything evil.

Hesiod probably wants to pass us the message that in every struggle or inconsistency we go through, there is hope that will always keep us going. No matter how big or small these evil things are, there is always a little light of hope that keeps us burning inside.

Pandora’s Box Story Moral Lesson

• Pandora’s curiosity led her to open the box. As it happened, she released all the evil things in the world. Therefore, we should always control ourselves to the things we are forbidden to do or have. Don’t let our greediness harm others.
• Pandora told everything that happened to her husband, Epimetheus, as an act of revealing her mistakes. It is heroic even though her husband would be angry about her actions.
• Life is full of challenges; in the story, all the evil things and ill are released as she opens the box. But, in the end, there is hope that was unleashed, which keeps us going.

Pandora’s Box Story Summary

Epimetheus and Prometheus, two brothers who helped the people, angered the king of the gods. As his means of punishing them, Pandora was sent to them, and Epimetheus fell for her and married her. The gods sent a box, and Pandora curiously opened the box. She saw moths, representing the awful things in the world.

She told Epimetheus, her husband, everything as soon as he arrived, and they saw a little moth left in the box, which was hope. The expression “to open Pandora’s box” refers to letting out many unsought problems.

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Pandora's Box Quiz Questions And Answers

Have you ever read or heard about the myth of Pandora's box in Greek mythology? Attempt these quiz questions and answers and check your understanding of the significance of Pandora's box. It was an artifact connected with the myth of Pandora, the first human woman in Greek mythology. There are different versions of this story. Here, we will ask a few questions based on Pandora's box. Are you ready to check how sharp your memory is? Play the quiz, then!

What prompts Pandora to look inside the box?

Belief in good

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Which statement best represents the theme of "Pandora's Box"?

The gods are smarter than humans and can use curiosity against humans

The early bird gets the worm and curiosity kills the cat

Believe in yourself and don't let others control you! Only you, yourself, can decide what is right for you!

Humans usually want what they cannot have, and curiosity can cause problems/one shouldn't let it get out of hand!

Zeus was angry with someone, and for revenge he had Pandora created. Pandora was full of curiosity and this caused lots of problems for the human race; however, hope was also in the box.

What was Zeus' main reason for creating Pandora?

To have her have a box that would cause problems

To get revenge on Epimetheus

To make the other women feel very jealous

To give magic to the world

How does the 'winged creature', mentioned at the end of the selection, relate to the other things in the box?

The winged creature is all the evil in the world and it represents Pandora's curiosity.

The winged creature represents hope, and it is the only thing that can outlive evil, war, etc....it is something that will stay with humans even if it goes away for a bit.

The winged creature represents flitting pieces of good found in people throughout the world and will lead the people to happiness.

The winged creature represents curiosity and tells the reader that without curiosty we - as humans - wouldn't have had so many problems in life!

What supernatural beings were involved in the creation of Pandora?

Zeus, Hephaestus, and the Five Winds, and Hades

Zeus, Athena, The Four Winds, Helena, and Hephastus

Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, Zeus, The Four Winds, Hephaestus

None of the beings were supernatural!

What came out of the box?

The evils of the world

A giant monster

Pandora did not go with her husband because she

Wanted to open the chest

All of these

Who did Prometheus steal fire from?

None of the above

Who was Hephaestus?

A god of fire

A god of greed

A god of rain

A god of wisdom

What warning did Mercury give to Epimetheus and Pandora?

Not to sleep

Not to open the box under any circumstances

Not to go outside alone

Not to talk to strangers

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