Which 1904 Frank Wedekind play completes the Lulu drama begun by Erdgeist?

Die Büchse der Pandora completes Frank Wedekind’s Lulu drama begun by Erdgeist. The play was published in 1904 and continues the story of Lulu, a central figure in Wedekind’s criticism of sexual morality, social hypocrisy, and bourgeois respectability.

Erdgeist, published in 1895, established the character and the dramatic situation. The later play expands the story and supplies the title that became associated with later adaptations, including G. W. Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box. In English, Die Büchse der Pandora is commonly translated as Pandora’s Box.

Wedekind’s Lulu plays were controversial because of their sexual themes and confrontational treatment of social power. Their stage history was shaped by censorship, adaptation, and changing attitudes toward modern drama. The works are therefore important both as literature and as sources for film and opera.

This play should not be confused with the ancient Greek myth itself. Wedekind uses Pandora as a literary and cultural reference, while his Lulu cycle is a modern dramatic narrative with its own characters and plot.