The myth of Pandora's box - Iseult Gillespie
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0:07 - 0:08Curiosity:
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0:08 - 0:10a blessing, or a curse?
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0:10 - 0:12The paradoxical nature of this trait
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0:12 - 0:14was personified for the ancient Greeks
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0:14 - 0:16in the mythical figure of Pandora.
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0:16 - 0:17According to legend,
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0:17 - 0:19she was the first mortal woman,
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0:19 - 0:23whose blazing curiosity set a chain
of earth-shattering events in motion. -
0:23 - 0:27Pandora was breathed into being
by Hephaestus, God of fire, -
0:27 - 0:31who enlisted the help of his divine
companions to make her extraordinary. -
0:31 - 0:35From Aphrodite she received the capacity
for deep emotion; -
0:35 - 0:37from Hermes she gained
mastery over language. -
0:37 - 0:42Athena gave the gift of fine craftsmanship
and attention to detail, -
0:42 - 0:45and Hermes gave her her name.
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0:45 - 0:48Finally, Zeus bestowed
two gifts on Pandora. -
0:48 - 0:50The first was the trait of curiosity,
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0:50 - 0:55which settled in her spirit and sent
her eagerly out into the world. -
0:55 - 0:59The second was a heavy box, ornately
curved, heavy to hold – -
0:59 - 1:01and screwed tightly shut.
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1:01 - 1:05But the contents, Zeus told her,
were not for mortal eyes. -
1:05 - 1:09She was not to open the box
under any circumstance. -
1:09 - 1:13On earth, Pandora met and fell in love
with Epimetheus, a talented titan -
1:13 - 1:17who had been given the task
of designing the natural world by Zeus. -
1:17 - 1:20He had worked alongside
his brother Prometheus, -
1:20 - 1:22who created the first humans
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1:22 - 1:25but was eternally punished
for giving them fire. -
1:25 - 1:27Epimetheus missed his brother desperately,
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1:27 - 1:32but in Pandora he found another
fiery-hearted soul for companionship. -
1:32 - 1:34Pandora brimmed with excitement
at life on earth. -
1:34 - 1:38She was also easily distracted
and could be impatient, -
1:38 - 1:42given her thirst for knowledge and desire
to question her surroundings. -
1:42 - 1:46Often, her mind wandered to the contents
of the sealed box. -
1:46 - 1:50What treasure was so great it could never
be seen by human eyes, -
1:50 - 1:52and why was it in her care?
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1:52 - 1:54Her fingers itched to pry it open.
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1:54 - 1:57Sometimes she was convinced
she heard voices whispering -
1:57 - 1:59and the contents rattling around inside,
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1:59 - 2:01as if straining to be free.
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2:01 - 2:05Its enigma became maddening.
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2:05 - 2:09Over time, Pandora became more and more
obsessed with the box. -
2:09 - 2:12It seemed there was a force beyond her
control that drew her to the contents, -
2:12 - 2:16which echoed her name louder and louder.
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2:16 - 2:18One day she could bear it no longer.
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2:18 - 2:19Stealing away from Epimetheus,
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2:19 - 2:22she stared at the mystifying box.
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2:22 - 2:24She’d take one glance inside,
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2:24 - 2:27then be able to rid
her mind of it forever... -
2:27 - 2:30But at the first crack of the lid,
the box burst open. -
2:30 - 2:32Monstrous creatures and horrendous sounds
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2:32 - 2:37rushed out in a cloud of smoke and swirled
around her, screeching and cackling. -
2:37 - 2:38Filled with terror,
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2:38 - 2:42Pandora clawed desperately at the air
to direct them back into their prison. -
2:42 - 2:46But the creatures surged out
in a gruesome cloud. -
2:46 - 2:50She felt a wave of foreboding
as they billowed away. -
2:50 - 2:52Zeus had used the box as a vessel
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2:52 - 2:55for all the forces of evil
and suffering he’d created – -
2:55 - 2:56and once released,
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2:56 - 2:58they were uncontainable.
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2:58 - 2:59As she wept,
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2:59 - 3:03Pandora became aware of a sound echoing
from within the box. -
3:03 - 3:06This was not the eerie
whispering of demons, -
3:06 - 3:09but a light tinkling that seemed
to ease her anguish. -
3:09 - 3:12When she once again lifted
the lid and peered in, -
3:12 - 3:16a warm beam of light rose out
and fluttered away. -
3:16 - 3:20As she watched it flickering in the wake
of the evil she’d unleashed, -
3:20 - 3:22Pandora’s pain was eased.
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3:22 - 3:25She knew that opening the box
was irreversible – -
3:25 - 3:29but alongside the strife, she’d set hope
forth to temper its effects. -
3:29 - 3:33Today, Pandora’s Box suggests
the extreme consequences -
3:33 - 3:35of tampering with the unknown –
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3:35 - 3:39but Pandora’s burning curiosity also
suggests the duality that lies -
3:39 - 3:41at the heart of human inquiry.
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3:41 - 3:43Are we bound to investigate everything
we don’t know, -
3:43 - 3:46to mine the earth for more –
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3:46 - 3:47or are there some mysteries
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3:47 - 3:49that are better left unsolved?
- Title:
- The myth of Pandora's box - Iseult Gillespie
- Speaker:
- Iseult Gillespie
- Description:
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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-myth-of-pandora-s-box-iseult-gillespie
Pandora was the first mortal woman, breathed into being by Hephaestus, god of fire. The gods gave her gifts of language, craftsmanship and emotion. From Zeus she received two gifts: the trait of curiosity and a heavy box screwed tightly shut -- never to be opened. But what treasure could never be seen by human eyes, and why was it in her care? Iseult Gillespie explores the mystery of Pandora’s box.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by Silvia Prietov.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:49
Kayla Wolf edited English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box | ||
Kayla Wolf approved English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box | ||
Kayla Wolf accepted English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box | ||
Kayla Wolf edited English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The myth of Pandora's box |