The Greek Symbolism Of The Greek Myth Of Pandora's Box

One common expression which we hear very often is “to open a Pandora’s box.” Now, you might have dismissed it as just another proverb, but this saying actually has a story behind it. The Greek myth of Pandora’s box eventually lead to this common saying. The main character of this myth, Pandora, is culturally significant and shows how the Greek population viewed the world. Pandora is a Greek mythical character who illustrates Greek values and culture through her actions in the myth, Pandora’s box.

The Greek myth, Pandora’s box, is about the first woman ever created. The first woman was created by the Greek gods to get revenge from Prometheus for bringing fire to mankind. This woman was named Pandora and she was endowed with various …show more content…
These lessons show Greek values, which were an essential part of Greek culture. One of these lessons is one should always be obedient and listen to his or her elders. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Pandora opened the box, despite Hermes’s instructions to never open the box (Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). This is one example of a character disobeying his or her superiors. Hermes is superior to Pandora because he is a god and he has more experience. However, Pandora refuses to listen to him and opened the box she received from the gods. The fact that evil escaped from this box shows that one should listen to his or her elders. By showing the result of not following a rule, the Greeks were encouraged to follow that rule to avoid the same outcome. In this example, Pandora’s disobedience lead to humankind suffering from disease, death, etc. In order to avoid a less ever but similar fate, the Greek population was taught to always listen to their elders. This lesson can also be illustrated in another scene in the myth. In the article, “Pandora,” Mark Cartwright explains, “Pandora, guided by Hermes, was sent to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Foolishly forgetting his brother’s advice never to accept a gift from the gods, the beautiful Pandora was made welcome in …show more content…
For example, the result of Pandora’s actions show that the Greek population believed that women were inferior to men and brought evil upon them. According to Mark Cartwright, “Pandora...was held responsible for releasing the ills of humanity...One day, and fulfilling her destiny, curiosity got the better of Pandora and she lifted the lid of the storage jar which released all the evils of the world. These terrible things included disease, war, vice, toil, and the necessity to work for sustenance.” This shows that Pandora’s curiosity caused her to release evils upon all of mankind. This can be perceived as “blaming” a woman for a natural or human-created phenomena. All of these evils were created by growing civilizations and their clashes over property, supplies, etc. However, the Greek population blamed all of this on a woman. Additionally, Hera was blamed for giving Pandora her curiosity. These two examples clearly show that the ancient Greeks disfavored women and blamed them for bringing evil into the world. Another example of Greek culture in the myth of Pandora is the ancient Greeks believed that their gods were all-powerful and much greater than them. This can be clearly seen when Mark Cartwright explains, “Pandora is...an instrument of the wrath of Zeus...Zeus’ intention was to use the beautiful and lovely Pandora as a means to punish Prometheus