Pandora's box
Pandora's box means a source of troubles released by an action that seemed simple or harmless; it comes from the story of Pandora in Greek myth. Opening it means setting problems loose that cannot easily be contained again.
Where it comes from
The Greek story
The story appears in Hesiod's Works and Days. Pandora opens a large jar, not a box, releasing troubles into human life.
In Works and Days, Pandora lifts the jar's lid and lets suffering spread through the world. Hope stays inside when the lid is replaced.
In Works and Days by Hesiod
The meaning today
Today, Pandora's box suggests that one decision may unleash many unwanted consequences. The emphasis is on how difficult those consequences are to stop.
In the story The Paradise of Children in A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, Pandora opens the forbidden box and releases troubles that hurt her and Epimetheus. Opening the box again allows Hope to come out and comfort them.
In A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne
How to use Pandora's box
- Name the action that could release further troubles.
- Use the phrase when the consequences may spread beyond control.
- Choose a plainer phrase for a single, easily solved problem.
Was Pandora's box really a box?
In Hesiod's account, the container is a large jar. The familiar box belongs to the story's later history in translation and retelling. That difference does not change the phrase's usual meaning: an action releases troubles that are difficult to contain.
Does opening Pandora's box mean being curious?
It means releasing troubles, not simply being curious. Curiosity often helps explain Pandora's action in retellings, but the everyday phrase points to the consequences. A decision can open Pandora's box even when it is made carefully or with good intentions.
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