Lulu is the central female character in Frank Wedekind’s play Pandora’s Box.
Wedekind’s Pandora’s Box, first published in 1904, is the second part of a dramatic story that begins with Earth Spirit. Lulu is a powerful, elusive figure whose relationships expose the hypocrisy and restrictive sexual morality of the society around her. She is not simply a direct version of the ancient Pandora; Wedekind uses the name and mythic association as a modern framework for exploring desire, power, and social judgment.
The play was controversial when it appeared because of its frank treatment of sexuality and its refusal to make Lulu fit a conventional moral category. Its first production faced censorship and controversy, reflecting the period’s strict theatrical standards.
The character later became famous through Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box, in which Louise Brooks played Lulu. Alban Berg’s opera Lulu also draws on Wedekind’s plays, making the character influential across theatre, cinema, and opera.