In the Greek myth of Pandora, hope remained inside the jar after its harmful contents escaped.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says Pandora lifted the lid of a storage vessel, allowing troubles to spread among humanity. One thing remained inside: elpis, commonly translated into English as “hope.” The text does not describe hope as escaping with the other afflictions.
The detail has prompted centuries of debate. Some readers view the trapped hope as a final consolation for human beings; others ask whether it is helpful because it stays available, or harmful because it is withheld. Those interpretations concern the symbolism, not the basic sequence in the story.
The familiar expression “Pandora’s box” is also technically different from the earliest Greek wording. Hesiod refers to a pithos, a large storage jar. “Box” became standard in later retellings and translations, while hope remained the best-known final element of the myth.