Hope remains inside the vessel after the other evils escape in the Pandora myth.
Hesiod’s Works and Days says that Pandora lifts the lid and releases the troubles destined for human beings. She closes the vessel before the final occupant can escape. That occupant is elpis, commonly translated as “hope.” The story therefore places hope inside the same vessel as the forces that afflict humanity.
The meaning is debated. Some readers interpret the trapped hope as comfort preserved for humans, while others note that Hesiod does not plainly say whether hope is beneficial or harmful. The Greek word can carry meanings connected with expectation, so translating it simply as optimism may overlook the ancient context.
Later retellings usually present hope as a gift left behind for humanity. That positive interpretation is now the best-known reading, although the original poem’s ambiguity has produced centuries of scholarly discussion.