Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology. The "box" was actually a large jar (πιθος pithos) given to Pandora (Πανδώρα) ("all-gifted"), which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, the entire contents of the jar were released, but for one – hope.[1] Today, opening Pandora's box means to create evil that cannot be undone.
The concept is simple all good scriptwriting and storytelling has a pandora's box. pandora's box itself is not a dramatic entity. The box dose not itself does not create conflict, It simply is. It is a constant. You can call it what ever you want, devine providence, fate, destiny, etc... pandora's box can take many forums in story telling. It can be a person place or thing. Where the drama comes in is when you have two elements that have free will and conflicting intrest or beliefs. Regardless, pandora's box, in the end, will ether be opened or stay close. That is up to the story teller or script writer.
For example the movie Deep Impact (1998) vs Armageddon (1998/I), Both movies have the same concept, a large astroid hurdling towards earth. The astroid itself dose not create drama, its the characters surrounding the issue that creates the drama. Drama exist when there is an element that disrupts both the protagonist's and the antagonist's world and that element is "pandora's box."
Pandora's box in story telling almost always has a liner direction. Plot twist and turns deceive the audience and the characters in thinking that pandora's box is either going to be open or stay closed. No matter what there is a beginning middle and end in story telling. pandora's box only has a beginning and an end because its a linear element, a constant. Name any great movie out there and I guarantee they all have there own pandora's box and conflict surrounding it. The pandora's box is what the story revolves around. Both the pandora's box and the characters need one another for the story to exist. Its a sort of a symbiotic relationship between the two.
It is possible to have a story with only one character and a pandora's box. The drama there will be between man and self and what ever element, place or thing, has been pre destined to come together. For example Event Horizon (1997) and Cast Away (2000), both movies revolved around a place. The place is pandora's box and the drama surrounding it was between man and self.
Drama exist in three forums. Man against man, man against self and man against nature. Pandora's box is the element surrounding that conflict.
So the next time you write your next story or screenplay try to figure out what that pandora's box is. This will help you identify the bases of what your characters will center around.
By
Robert Sawin
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