In Hesiod’s Works and Days, what was Pandora’s first act after arriving among humans?

In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora’s first major act after arriving among humans was opening the jar. The poem says the vessel held evils that then spread among humanity when Pandora removed its covering.

Zeus sends Pandora to Epimetheus as part of his response to Prometheus’s theft of fire. Although Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, Epimetheus accepts Pandora. The opening of the vessel becomes the turning point that explains why suffering affects human life.

Hesiod does not call the vessel a box. The ancient Greek object is generally translated as a jar or storage vessel, and the familiar “box” wording arose later through translation history. This distinction is why the modern expression “Pandora’s box” is not a literal description of Hesiod’s container.

Later versions and retellings often portray curiosity as Pandora’s motive. Hesiod’s poem focuses more strongly on Zeus’s plan and the release of evils than on a modern psychological explanation of her decision.