Hesiod: Why Pandora Is A Blessing

Rachel Gundlach

Greek Achievement

M. Sweet

9/20/15

Based on the readings, I conclude that Hesiod has intended his audience to regard elpis as a curse rather than a blessing. First of all, when Zeus is over taken by his anger with Prometheus after Prometheus makes an ill hearted attempt to fool Zeus at Mykone in regards to which food to choose. After Zeus discovered this trickery, he and the other gods put ingredients together to create a woman called Pandora. Pandora is a ‘gift’ to Epimetheus. The poem writes “Prometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men,” (Hesiod, Works and Days, 85-90).

Just the fact that Pandora practically comes with a warning label as a being harmful shows

the first example of how elpis is a curse.

Elpis is in a sense, a hopeful manifestation of a jar however, with the hope it brings also comes the negative side of the story. When the jar was opened and the remains dispersed amongst the earth and sea, hope was the only thing left. Hesiod states that all the bad parts of the jar were scattered. “Only Hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door… But the rest, countless plagues, wander amongst men,” (Hesiod, Works and Days, 95-100). With this, although the idea of elpis is a good thing, all but the good have been releases. Men are now left to fend off the evils of the jars’ remains. Zeus makes five generations of man to come to one he is most satisfied with. Once he creates the fifth, Hesiod goes on the cover the dos and don’ts about life. He says what a man should do in reference to being a good neighbor and making a clear point about how women are deceiving and should not be trusted. However, man should marry to a woman when he is between ages of the late 20’s through the early 30’s and make sure the lady

he chooses is one that lives fairly close. Hesiod discusses what to do through every season for example how to plough as well as when to sail or to dress warm during the cold seasons. If a man were to disregard these things, he would deserve punishment accordingly. An example of wrong doing is “if he steals it through his tongue, as often happens when gain deceives men’s senses and dishonor tramples down honor, the gods soon blot him out and make that man’s house low, and wealth attends him only for a little time,” (Hesiod, Works and Days, 320-325. Men are forced to follow the rules set forth by the beings from Olympus or face consequences. All in all, I find that Hesiod intends elpis as a curse. Hope is all that remains in the jar. Evil is what men are given in return. All of this is a result of angering the almighty Zeus.