In Hesiod’s Works and Days, hope remained inside Pandora’s container after the evils escaped.
Hesiod says that Pandora lifted the lid of the storage vessel, allowing countless troubles to spread among humans. Hope, called Elpis in Greek, stayed within the vessel because Pandora replaced the lid before it could leave.
The meaning of this ending has been debated since antiquity. Some readers view hope as a comfort preserved for humanity, while others interpret it as another thing kept hidden from people. The Greek word does not automatically mean modern optimism; it can refer more broadly to expectation.
The popular expression “Pandora’s box” is also slightly different from Hesiod’s account. The earliest Greek texts describe a pithos, usually understood as a large storage jar, rather than a box. Later retellings popularized the box image.