Pandora left hope inside the jar after the other evils escaped.
In the best-known version of the myth, Pandora opens the container and releases destructive forces into the world. She then closes it before hope can escape. The Greek word often translated as “hope” is elpis, although scholars and translators have debated the exact meaning and role of this remaining item.
The myth’s ending supports the familiar expression that hope remains even amid suffering. It can also be read more ambiguously: hope is trapped inside the jar rather than freely released, so ancient audiences may not have understood the ending in exactly the same optimistic way as modern readers.
Another common mistake is claiming that Pandora deliberately released evil. Hesiod’s story emphasizes curiosity, divine design, and the consequences of opening the vessel, but details vary across later retellings. The enduring cultural version usually treats hope as the final presence left behind.