Prometheus was punished by Zeus for giving fire to humanity in the story connected with Pandora’s creation.
Prometheus is the Titan who steals or obtains fire for humans after Zeus withholds it. Zeus responds by arranging a punishment that affects both Prometheus and humanity. Prometheus is chained and condemned to suffer, while Pandora is created as part of a broader punishment directed at humans.
The myth is often summarized as a simple contest between a heroic fire-bringer and an angry god. Hesiod’s version is darker: Prometheus’s cleverness repeatedly challenges Zeus, and the gift of fire brings a severe divine response. Later writers, especially in modern literature, often portray Prometheus more sympathetically.
Pandora’s story and Prometheus’s story are therefore linked but not identical. Prometheus does not open the jar, and Pandora is not created as a reward; she appears after the conflict over fire as part of Zeus’s retaliation.