In Hesiod’s Works and Days, hope remains inside Pandora’s container after she opens it. The story says that troubles escape into the world, while hope stays within the vessel.
This detail gives the myth its most debated ending. The Greek word used by Hesiod is elpis, commonly translated as “hope,” but scholars have discussed whether the word should be understood as positive expectation, anticipation, or something more ambiguous. The text does not provide a simple modern explanation of why hope remains inside.
Later retellings often describe Pandora shutting the container before hope can escape, presenting hope as a comfort preserved for humanity. That familiar interpretation is influential, but it adds emotional emphasis that is not fully spelled out in Hesiod’s brief account.
The ancient story also concerns a jar, not a box. The phrase “Pandora’s box” became standard much later through translation and cultural tradition, while “hope remained” is the enduring detail associated with the original ending.