When the humans anger Zeus, he punishes them by taking fire away. Prometheus, with the help of his brother, Epimetheus, steals the fire and gives it back to the humans. Prometheus is punished by being chained to a rock where every day an eagle eats his liver only for it to grow back every night and be eaten again the next day. Epimetheus’s punishment is more subtle: he is given Pandora as a wife, and he knows it must be a trick but he loves her anyway. Zeus gives them a wedding gift, a box and a key that say “do not open.” Pandora is curious and opens the box. When she does, all of the bad things that exist in the world, like hate and disease, are released. She closes the box and cries. When Epimetheus comes to see what is wrong, she shows him the empty box and finds that hope is still inside.
I don’t remember the first time I heard the story of Pandora’s Box, but I know it is referenced very often. When I heard it as a child, Pandora’s curiosity was emphasized. Children are often told to not be too curious because curiosity is dangerous. It is often related to the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” As adults, we often focus on the last part, the part that reminds us that even though there are bad things out there, there is still hope.
There are different versions of the story. The common English version of the story includes a box and key, but the Greek version more likely included a jar. All versions equate fire to life and consider Prometheus the giver of life. Some versions say that Prometheus stole fire from Zeus; some say that he stole it from Hephaestus. Some versions say that Hephaestus makes Pandora and Zeus brings her to life while other versions say that she is brought to life by multiple gods and goddesses through the use of their respective powers and elements. Other versions of the story include animals: all of the bad things in the box are described as actual creatures, like moths, that attack Pandora, and hope is described as a beautiful dragonfly that stays behind and heals her.
Some versions of the story focus more on Pandora. She is given to Epimetheus, like property. This could be used to emphasize the idea that woman is inferior to man, like in the story of Adam and Eve. Pandora is also often described as the first woman to live with humanity. When she opens the box, she is blamed for the release of all of the bad things. Women are often associated with the supernatural and evil and savagery. The idea that women are to blame if anything bad ever happens is one that is seen repeatedly in patriarchal societies. While Pandora may have released all of the bad things into the world, the fact that she released hope, which many think of as good, is overlooked.
