Hesiod wrote that Pandora was made as a punishment for humanity in the surviving ancient account of the myth.
In Works and Days, Zeus orders Pandora’s creation after Prometheus’s deception and theft of fire. The gods give her qualities and ornaments, and she is sent to Epimetheus. Her opening of the jar releases the troubles that had previously been absent from human life.
The story reflects Hesiod’s broader explanation of why people must work and endure suffering. It is not presented as an isolated adventure but as part of a moral and cosmological account linking divine power, human labor, and the consequences of disobedience.
Later authors and artists changed the emphasis. Some portray Pandora as malicious, others as innocent or curious, and still others focus on hope. Hesiod’s version is the foundational literary source, but it should not be treated as the only interpretation of the character.