NOLI ME TANGERE

THEME:
Theme as an element of fiction is the idea that runs through the whole novel, repeated again in various forms and ways.
DEDICATION:
Rizal wrote in his dedication page in the Noli me tángere, “I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully, without
discriminations; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the evil…”  He clearly stated his intention of giving an accurate picture
of the conditions in the Philippines at the time, and this gives the reader a good idea what the main theme would be.
NUMBER OF CHAPTER: 63 chapters
SETTING:
The setting of the novel was in the 19th century Philippines, specifically at Manila, during the latter years of the country as
colony of Spain in Asia.
CHARACTER:
Ibarra (Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin) Elias Maria Clara ( Maria Clara de los Santos y Alba)
Filosofo Tascio (Pilosopo Tasyo) Sisa Crispin Basilio
Captain Tiago (Don Santiago de los Santos) Padre Damaso (Damaso Verdolagas)
Other Character:
Padre Hemando de la Sibyla El Alferez or Alperes Padre Bernardo Salvi
Dona Consolacion Dona Pia Alba
Dona Victoria Teniente Guevara
Don tiburcio de Espadana Alfonso Linares
Governor General Don Filipo Lino
Padre Maunuel Martin Don Rafael Ibarra
Non-recurring character
Don Pedro Eibarramendia Don Saturnino Ibarra
Salome Sinang
Iday Andeng Victoria Capitan Basillio
Pedro Lucas Tandang Pablo
El Hombre Amarillo Sacritan Mayor
Bruno and Tarsilo Nor Juan
Capitana Tika Albino
Capitana Maria Elena Capitana Tinong Capitan Valentin
PLOT:
The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan, returning home after seven years in Europeand
filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his countrymen. Striving for reforms, he is confronted by an abusive ecclesiastical
hierarchy and a Spanish civil administration by turns indifferent and cruel.  The death of Ibarra’s father, Don Rafael, prior to his
homecoming, and the refusal of a Catholic burial by Padre Damaso, the parish priest, provokes Ibarra into hitting the priest, for
which Ibarra is excommunicated. The decree is rescinded, however, when the governor general intervenes.The friar and his
successor, Padre Salvi, embody the rotten state of the clergy. Their tangled feelings—one paternal, the other carnal—for Maria
Clara, Ibarra’s sweetheart and rich Capitan Tiago’s beautiful daughter, steel their determination to spoil Ibarra’s plans for a
school.  The town philosopher Tasio wryly notes similar past attempts have failed, and his sage commentary makes clear that
all colonial masters fear that an enlightened people will throw off the yoke of oppression.
MESSAGE:
The Noli is, therefore, not merely an attack on the Spanish colonial regime; it is a charter of nationalism. It calls on the Filipino to
recover his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth, to return to the heritage of his ancestors, to assert himself as the
equal of the Spaniard.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO

THEME:
El Filibusterismo was changed to convey the message that the present system of government in the Philippines through corrupt
officials, dominated by the friars can lead to the downfall of Spain
DEDICATION:
Rizal's Masterpiece: El Filibusterismo. l Filibusterismo was written in dedication to the three martyred priests Mariano Gomez,
Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, whose deaths left an indelible mark in his mind. Like Noli Me Tangere, Fili aims at enlightening
the society, at bringing the Filipinos closer to the truth.
NUMBER OF CHAPTERS: 64 chapters

SETTINGS
Jose Rizal's novel, El Filibusterismo is also known as The Reign of Greed, was set in the Philippines that is under the vestiges of the
then-colonial Spain.
CHARACTER:
Simoun Tadeo Isagani
Kabesang Tales Pecson Dona Victoria
Paulita Gomez Juanito Peláez Placido Penitente
Ben-Zayb Juli Tandang Selo
Basilio Tano Father Florentino
Father Fernández Don Custodio Captain Tiago
Captain-General Father Camorra Father Bernardo Salví
Father Millon Quiroga
Father Írene Placido Penitente
Hermana Penchang Hermana Báli
Macaraig Sandoval
PLOT:
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra has changed his name and identity to a rich jeweler named Simoun. In disguise, he travels the
world amassing wealth, which he intends to use to topple the corrupt and abusive regime in his native land. But
Simoun's real motive is personal.
MESSAGE:
Rizal's Masterpiece: El Filibusterismo. The message of the novel is clear: the present system of governing the
Philippines through corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by the friars and being submissive to their interests in
one fashion or another, can only lead to disaster for Spain.