The gods presented her with a box into which each had put something harmful, and forbade her ever to open it. Then they sent her to Epimetheus, who took her gladly although Prometheus had warned him never to accept anything from Zeus. He took her, and afterward when that dangerous thing, a woman, was his, he understood how good his brother's advice had been. For Pandora, like all women, was possessed of a lively curiosity. She had to know what was in the box. One day she lifted the lid——and out flew plagues innumerable, sorrow and mischief for mankind. In terror Pandora clapped the lid down, but too late. One good thing, however, was there——Hope. It was the only good the casket had held among the many evils, and it remains to this day mankind's sole comfort in misfortune.
潘多拉是宙斯创造的第一个人类女人， 主要是要报复人类。因为众神中的普罗米修斯过份关心人类，於是恼火了宙斯。
宙斯在争夺神界时，就是得到普罗米修斯及其弟厄庇米修斯的帮助，而能登上宝座。普罗米修斯的名字即“深谋远虑”的意思。而其弟厄庇米修斯的意思为“后悔”，所以两兄弟的作风就跟其名字一样，有着“深谋远虑”及“后悔”的特性。
潘多拉被创造之后，就在宙斯的安排下，送给了厄庇米修斯。因为祂知道普罗米修斯不会接受祂送的礼物，所以一开始就送给了厄庇米修斯。而厄庇米修斯也接受了她，在举行婚礼时，宙斯命令众神各将一份礼物放在一个盒子里，送给潘多拉当礼物。而众神的礼物是好是坏就不得而知了。厄庇米修斯的胞兄普罗米修斯就警告厄庇米修斯， 千万不要接受宙斯的礼物，尤其是女人，因为女人是危险的动物。而厄庇米修斯就跟其名字一般，娶了潘多拉之后没多久，就开始后悔了。
因为潘多拉除了善妒，贪婪，爱美外，最大的缺点就是好奇心了。从结婚以后，她就不断地想打开众神送的小盒子，而厄庇米修斯却要时时刻刻的提防她的好奇心，因为他知道盒子里的礼物未必都是好的。有一天，潘多拉的好奇心战胜了一切。她等厄庇米修斯出门后，就打开了盒子，结果一团烟冲了出来，将一切礼物全都释放，这里面包含了幸福、瘟疫、忧伤、友情、灾祸、爱情，潘多拉害怕极了，赶紧将盒子盖上，但一切都已经太迟，盒子内只剩下“希望”。於是潘多拉抱着“希望”等着厄庇米修斯的归来。至今，它一直是人类生活动力的来源，因为它带给人类无穷的“希望”，不管遭遇何种困境，它是人类一切不幸中唯一的安慰。
