In the familiar Greek myth of Pandora, hope was the last thing left inside the container. Pandora opened the vessel and released sickness, labor, grief, and other hardships, while hope remained within it.
The Greek word usually connected with hope is Elpis. Interpretations differ over whether hope was deliberately preserved as a comfort for humanity or trapped inside as another part of the punishment. Hesiod’s wording does not resolve the issue completely, which has led to centuries of debate among classicists.
The modern expression “Pandora’s box” usually emphasizes the release of many problems from a single action. The surviving hope gives the story a more complex ending than a simple disaster tale, although popular retellings vary in how prominently they feature it.