In the Greek myth, what escaped when Pandora opened the container given to her?

In the Greek myth, the world’s evils escaped when Pandora opened the container given to her.

In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Pandora opens a large storage jar after arriving among humanity. The jar releases destructive hardships and suffering, which then spread through the human world. Hesiod’s account does not originally describe a small modern box; the Greek word is pithos, a large jar or storage vessel.

The myth is commonly summarized as Pandora opening a box, because later translations and retellings popularized that wording. The story also explains why troubles are present in human life while hope remains associated with the vessel after the evils depart.

The exact list of released afflictions varies among translations and interpretations, so “the world’s evils” is the concise traditional answer. Pandora herself is not usually described as deliberately trying to harm humanity; the story emphasizes curiosity, divine design, and the consequences of opening the container.