La Doctora Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña

Who is Doña Victorina?

Full Name: Victorina de los Reyes de Espedaña
A name frequently used in the story: Donya Victorina
Husband: Tiburcio de Espedana

Background
Description
-She smokes tobacco
-She used to be a maid
-A Filipina that would like to be Spanish
-Despises her origin
-Possesses crab mentality
-Arrogant
-Spiteful
Doctora Victorina is depicted as a Filipino woman who aspires to be a Spanish mestiza, a person
of mixed Filipino and Spanish heritage.
She is portrayed as someone who is obsessed with imitating Spanish culture, mannerisms, and
appearance in order to gain social status and prestige.
She is depicted as vain, pretentious, and willing to go to great lengths to achieve her goal,
including undergoing cosmetic procedures and adopting Spanish-sounding names.
Doña Victorina stands out in the novel as a native who is so obsessed in being Spanish that she
dresses up like them. She is said to have many suitors in her younger days. In fact, even Capitan
Tiago had made love to her in vain. Her cockiness had her married an old, lame, and stuttering
Spaniard instead. She forces her husband to pretend as a doctor. Being the doctor's wife elevated
her position in the society.

Doña Victorina is just as ignorant as her quack husband but pretends to act intelligent. She also
lies about her real age, which is 45, but for her it's just 32. Don Tiburcio doesn't mind as his wife
was rich and provided for his basic needs.

Role in Noli Me Tangere

She is significant as a satirical representation of the social and cultural complexities of the
Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, and serves as a commentary on the damaging effects
of colonialism on Filipino society and identity.
She is one of the lesser evils in the novel, Doña Victorina symbolizes those who have a distorted
view of their identity. Everything that is indigenous is inferior and everything foreign as
superior. It is the comedic form of ‘’colonial mentality’’ where indigenous Filipinos aspired to
adopt Spanish customs and behaviors as a way to gain favor and social standing in a colonial
society that placed a premium on Spanish heritage and culture.

Character Analysis

A Filipina woman married to Don Tiburcio. Above all else, Doña Victorina cares about her
image as a beautiful and admired socialite, though she is actually as Rizal goes out of his way to
emphasize past her prime. She is only in her thirties but looks much older, and she quickly
adopts the latest trends, often changing her patterns of speech to reflect the sound of high society
members. It is her idea to have Don Tiburcio treat María Clara. She also encourages him to
bring along his respectable nephew Linares, whom she is eager to pair off with María Clara
when Captain Tiago whose advances she denied as a young woman because he was Filipino
and not Spanish calls off the wedding between his daughter and Ibarra.

History

Early Life

Born in 1836, as she grew up Doña Victorina rejected all of her suitors, wanting to marry a
Spaniard.
By 1881, she badly needed a husband to maintain her social status; this led her to meet the quack
doctor Don Tiburcio through a mutual friend.
Soon after, they were married. During this time, she also began pretending to be a Spaniard
herself, putting on many airs despite being a native indio. Among these airs was pretending she
was pregnant and supposedly scheduling a trip to Spain for her to give birth there.

Philippine Representation
Presentations of "La Doctora Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña" in the Philippines may be
standalone plays or part of larger theatrical productions or cultural events that aim to showcase
the works of Jose Rizal and other Filipino literary icons. These presentations are often
considered important contributions to Philippine literature and theater, as they reflect the
country's rich cultural heritage and provide insights into its history, social dynamics, and identity
struggles during the Spanish colonial era. They may also serve as a means of educating
audiences about the works of Rizal and his impact on Philippine society and culture.
Further information >
https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-magazine/2011/12/25/761557/doa-victorinas-
lesson-true-colors
References
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/noli-me-tangere/characters/la-doctora-victorina-de-los-reyes-de-
espadana
https://noli-me-tangere.fandom.com/wiki/Do%C3%B1a_Victorina#Character_Connections
https://prezi.com/oljb0dktfaia/who-is-dona-victorina/#:~:text=As%20one%20of%20the
%20lesser,''colonial%20mentality''.
https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-magazine/2011/12/25/761557/doa-victorinas-
lesson-true-colors