Who wrote the 1904 play Pandora’s Box, centered on the character Lulu?

Frank Wedekind wrote the 1904 play Pandora’s Box, centered on the character Lulu.

The German playwright originally published Pandora’s Box under the title Die Büchse der Pandora. It forms the second part of Wedekind’s Lulu cycle, following Earth Spirit, first performed in 1895. The drama presents Lulu as a complex and destructive figure whose relationships expose social attitudes toward sexuality, class, and respectability.

The play is often discussed alongside Earth Spirit because both works belong to the same Lulu story. It is also important not to confuse Wedekind’s play with the ancient Greek Pandora myth: the shared title is symbolic, while Lulu is a modern dramatic character rather than a retelling of Hesiod.

Wedekind’s work later inspired opera, film, and other adaptations. Alban Berg’s opera Lulu draws on both Lulu plays, although its structure and music are Berg’s own.