Frank Wedekind’s 1904 play is titled Pandora’s Box.
Pandora’s Box is the second of Wedekind’s two Lulu plays, following Earth Spirit. The dramas center on Lulu, whose relationships with men and movement through different social environments create a bleak examination of desire, exploitation, status, and violence. The play was first published in 1904 and later became the basis for adaptations in film, opera, and other media.
The title draws on the ancient Pandora image but does not retell Hesiod’s story. Wedekind uses the name metaphorically for the consequences released by Lulu’s presence and by the social forces surrounding her. G. W. Pabst’s 1929 film also uses material from both Lulu plays.
A frequent confusion is to identify Earth Spirit as the play with the title Pandora’s Box. Earth Spirit is the first Lulu drama; Pandora’s Box is the second. Both belong to the same connected dramatic cycle.