The Context and Content of

Noli Me Tangere
Jose Rizal’s first novel, Noli Me Tangere, is considered
one of the most important written outputs by the
national hero at the height of his intellectual
endeavors in Europe.
As a sojourner in Europe, Rizal participated in the
movement of the ilustrados to utilize propaganda to
campaign for reforms in the Philippines. Utilizing their
intellectual prowess, the ilustrados released various
written outputs from new bits, to feature articles, and
commentaries. They also produced creative outputs
from satirical pieces to world class painting.
Many of his biographers cite works that influenced
Rizal in the writing of Noli
One of these is Juan Luna’s painting, Spolarium, which depicted the
sufferings of humanity in the face of inequalities.
Another is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that
portrays the brutalities of American slave owners and the unfortunate
conditions of Negro slaves.
The novel was published the following year in Germany. Lack of funds
delayed the book’s publication until a fellow ilustrado.
By 1887, Rizal was already sending out copies of the Noli to his friends
and the book began to take flight. Berliner Buchcruckrei-Action-
Gesselschaft-published the novel. Charged the lowest rate P300.00 for
2,00 copies. Ferdinand Blumentritt, Antinio Ma. Regidor, Graciano Lopez-
Jaena, Mariano Ponce, and Felix Resurreccion-Hidalgo received the first
copies of the novel. Maximo Viola receveid the original handwritten
manuscript with the pen used by Rizal in writing the novel as a sign of his
gratitude to the man who help in the printing of his novel.
 Motivations behind Writing the Noli
The title, Noli Me Tangere, had biblical reference to the Gospel of John in
which Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and uttered the words “Touch
me not , for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” The choice of title
according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes
that were taboo in the Philippines for centuries; things that people dared
to touch.
According to his biographers, Rizal’s first planned to write his novel in
French, considered to be the language of intellectuals in Europe that
time. He, however shifted to Spanish because he intended to reach out to
his countrymen in the Philippines.
Rizal explained: “I must wake from its slumber the spirit of my country…
I must first propose to my countrymen an example with which they can
struggle against their bad qualities, and afterwards, when they have
reformed, many writers would rise up to present my country to proud
Europe”. In the initial pages of the Noli, the dedication titled “A Mi Patria”
clearly articulated Rizal’s purpose for writing the novel.
 To my Motherland
In the annals of human adversity, there is etched a cancer,
of a breed that so malignant that the least contact
exacerbates it, and stirs in it the sharpest of pains. And
thus, many times amidst modern cultures I have wanted to
evoke you, sometimes for memories of you to keep me
company, others times, to compare you with other nations
– many times your beloved image appears to me afflicted
with a social cancer of similar malignancy. Desiring your
well-being, which is our own and searching for the best
cure, I will do with you as the ancients of old with their
afflicted, expose them on the steps of the temple so that
each one would come to invoke the Divine would propose a
The project of writing the Noli, as stated, was geared
towards exposing the ills of the Philippine colonial society
under Spain. Thus, through the passages within the Noli,
readers also get glimpses of how Rizal saw his country.

Plot
The story of the Noli Me Tangere followed the life of Juan
Crisostomo Ibarra after he returned to the Philippines from
studying in Europe. The novel opened with Captain Tiago
preparing a homecoming gathering for the young ilustrado.
Throughout of the novel, the characters would be seen
navigating the complex realities of the colonial Philippines.

Ibarra was shown to be rekindling links with his betrothed

Maria Clara, but noth everything was fine and dandy for
Ibarra. Upon his return, he learned about the ills that plagued
his town as well as the abuses of the friars to which his late
Ibarra found an antagonist in Padre Damaso, the former
curate of San Diego who ordered that corpse of his father be
exhumed and reburied in the Chinese cemetery. Despite
these personal travails, Ibarra preserved to fulfill the plan of
building a school in San Diego staying true to his belief that
education was crucial for his nation’s progress.
Ibarra almost got killed had it not for Elias, a boatman, who saved
him. Elias also previously cautioned Ibarra about his actions that
could anger the friars, after the incident, Ibarra organized a
luncheon . Here, another confrontation occurred between Ibarra
and Damaso who attended the luncheon uninvited.
In a fit of anger, Ibarra took a knife against Damaso’s neck and
threatened to slit his throat as he told everyone of the abuses
committed by Damaso and the desecration he did to Ibarra’s
father. Maria Clara calmed Ibarra and prevented him from killing
the friar. Damaso, in act of revenge, persuaded Capitan Tiago, the
father of Maria Clara, to not allow his daughter to marry Ibarra.
After some time, a revolt was blamed on Ibarra, which caused

his incarceration. With the help of Elias, he escapedand went

to see Maria Clara who was soon marrying a man her father
chooses for her. In heart-breaking confrontation, Ibarra and
Maria Clara exchanged accusations and in the process, it was
revealed that Damaso was the true father of Maria Clara.
As turmoil and confusion engulfed the town, Maria Clara
thought that Ibarra had been killed. This caused her endless
grief. She asked to be confined to nunnery lest she takes her
own life. It was later revealed that Ibarra was not dead and
that Elias was the one who was totally shot.
In the latter passages, the dying Elias was waiting for Ibarra
but instead, met and talk to the young Basilio. He instructed
the orphaned boy (his mother Sisa, who became insane looking
for his sons, had died) to find the treasure of Ibarra buried in
the cemetery and use it to get an education. He reminded
Basilio to never lose hope and if one day, freedom and progress
Within this general contour of the narrative, Rizal wove a complex story and
subplots. Reading through the novel, different characters and their corresponding
stories unfold as told through the voice of an unseen narrator. Truly, the pages of
the Noli reflected the lives of people living in the complicated world of the colonial
Philippines.

THE TITLE
The title, in Latin, meand “TOUCH ME NOT”

Refers to the Bible, John 20:17 (King James Version) as

Mary Magdalene tried to touch his risen Jesus. He said
“Touch Me Not”; for I am not yet ascended to my Father”
References for the Novel
Jose Rizal preferred that the prospective novel express
the backward, anti-progress, and anti-intellectual was of
Filipino culture was.
On June 2. 1984, Rizal proposes the writing of an novel
about the Philippines written by a group of Filipino.
His proposal was unanimously approved by the Filipino
present at partly, among whom were Pedro, Maximo and
Antonio Paterno, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Evarsito Aguirre,
Eduardo de Lette, Julio Llorente, Melecio Figueroa and
Valentin Ventura.
What happened to Rizal’s project proposal?
-Rizal’s project did not materialize. Those compatriots
who were expected to collaborate on the novel did not
write anything. Almost everybody wanted to write on
Why Rizal was disgusted?
-Rizal was disgusted at such flippancy. He was more
disgusted to see that his companions instead of working
seriously on the novel, wasted their gambling or flirting
with Spanish senioritas.
-He writes novel alone.
The Writing of the Noli Me Tangere
-End of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in Madrid
and finished about one-half of it. In Paris, he continued
writhing the novel (Finishing one-half of the second
half). In Germany, on February 21, 1887, he finished
the last fourth of the novel.
-In Wilhelmsfeld (April-June 1886), he wrote the last
few chapters of Noli in Berlin (Winter days of February
 What happened to Rizal because of sick and penniless?
-In a momentary fot of desperation, he almost hurled into the flames.
-”I did not believe that the Noli Me Tangere would ever be published when I
was in Berlin, broken-hearted, weakened, and discouraged from hunger and
desperation. I was in the point of throwing my work into the fire into the fire as
a thing accursed and fit only to die”.

-During the printing of the Noli, the Chief of Police in Berlin

paid a sudden visit to Rizal’s boarding house. The chiefasked
for his passport, but Rizal couldn’t show any. The chief told
him to secure his passport within 4 days, otherwise, he would
be deported.
-Rizal failed in obtaining his passport and presented himself
at the German Police Office, apologizing for his failure.
- After Rizal put the finishing touches of his novel. He deleted
certain passages in his manuscript, including a whole
-MARCH 21, 1887, The Noli Me Tangere was
finally finished and ready for printing. They went
to different printing shops in Berlin to survey the
cost of printing.
-They found Berliner Buchdruck-Action-
Gesselschacft Printing Shop which charged the
lowest rate, which is 300 pesos for 2,000 copies on
the novel.
- The “savior of Noli”, Maximo Viola, insisted on
lending him 300 pesos for the printing of the first
2,00 copies. Viola loaned Rizal money for publishing
and for Rizal’s living expenses. With that Rizal and
Viola happily celebrated the Chrismas of 1886 in
Berlin.