Hope remained inside Pandora’s jar after the other forces escaped in the Greek myth.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Pandora replaced the lid after the contents flew out, leaving only Elpis inside. Elpis is commonly translated as “hope,” although the exact interpretation of the Greek concept has been debated. In later tradition, hope became the story’s balancing element: humanity suffers from the released troubles but retains a reason to endure.
The myth does not clearly state in simple terms whether hope was trapped inside as a benefit or kept away as another hardship. Ancient readers and modern scholars have discussed both possibilities. Many popular retellings present hope as a gift that remains available to people.
The phrase “Pandora’s box” also differs from the ancient story. Hesiod describes a pithos, or large jar, and the box wording became standard through later translations and literary tradition. Hope is the only named thing explicitly said to remain in the vessel.