In the usual Greek-myth retelling, hope remained inside Pandora’s container after the evils escaped. Pandora opened the vessel, and troubles spread into the human world, but hope stayed behind.
The Greek word in Hesiod’s account is elpis, often translated as “hope.” The text does not provide a long philosophical explanation of whether hope is a blessing, an evil, or a force held back from humanity. Later interpreters have therefore debated the meaning of the ending.
Some readings say hope remained so that humans would not be completely without comfort. Other interpretations note that the container held destructive things and ask whether hope was itself being withheld. The familiar positive interpretation is influential but is not the only scholarly possibility.
The expression “hope at the bottom of Pandora’s box” has become a common metaphor. It usually means that some optimism survives even after disaster, although the exact wording and symbolism come from later interpretation as much as from the brief ancient passage.