CHAPTER

VIII:

NOLI ME
TANGERE
February 21,1887- the first novel Noli Me
Tangere was finished

NOLI ME TANGERE - a latin phrase

which means “Touch me not”,
from the bible

IDEA OF WRITING ON PHILIPPINES:

□ The reading of Harriet Beecher Stowes
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”- which portrays
the brutalities of American
slave-owners and the pathetic
conditions of the unfortunate Negro,
Slaves, inspired Dr. Jose Rizal to
prepare a novel on the Philippines
□ Rizal was a student in the Central
University of Madrid
□ Rizal proposed is writing of a novel
about the Philippines during the
reunion of Filipinos in the house of the
Paternos in Madrid on January 2,1884
□ His proposal was unanimously
approved by:
1. Pedro
2. Maximo
3. Antonio
□ They were Paternos
□ Graciano Lopez Jaena
□ Evaristo Aguirre
□ Julio Llorente
□ Valentin Ventura
□ Eduardo De Lete
The end of 1884-Rizal began writing the
novel in madrid and he finished one
half of it
1885
□ He went to Paris for completing his
studies in the Universidad Central De
Madrid
□ He continued writing the novel,
finishing the one half of the second
half.
GERMANY 1886
□ During the dark days
□ While his spirit was at its lowest ebb, he
almost threw the manuscript into the
fire
□ The novel was almost finished
□ He was desperately desponded
because he saw no hope of having
it to published for he was utterly
penniless

FERNANDO CANON- friend of Rizal

MID DECEMBER-
a telegram from Barcelona
arrived
THE TELEGRAM
□ Sent by Dr. Maximo Viola,
informing Rizal of his coming visit
to Berlin
□ The message revived the author’s
Hope

Dr. Maximo Viola

□ A scion of a rich family of San
Miguel Bulacan
□ Would surely lend him the money
for the publication of the novel
□ The man had saved “Noli”
□ Viola was a Godsend
□ Viola came to Berlin to invite Rizal to
join him in a tour of Europe
□ When he learned of Rizal’s
predicament, he kindly agreed to
postponed the tour and instead,
advanced some money so that the
novel could be printed
1887
□ First edition of Noli Me Tangere
was printed in Berlin
□ P300.oo cost of printing (advance
by Viola) for 2000 copies

MARCH 29,1887
□ Rizal gave the Galley Proofs of the
Noli
□ A significant date for it was the
date when the Noli Me Tangere
came off the press
MARCH 1887
□ Rizal writing to Felix R. Hidalgo in
french
□ “Noli Me Tangere” words taken
from the gospel of St.Luke
□ Rizal made a mistake. It should be
the gospel of St. John, on the first
Easter Sunday St. John(chapter
20:13-17)

ST.MARY MAGDALENE - visited the

Holy Sepulchre, and to her our
Lord Jesus, just arisen from the
dead
The author’s dedication. Rizal
dedicated the Noli Me Tangere to
the Philippines “to my country”
his dedication runs as follows:

• Recorded in the history of human

sufferings is a cancer so malignant
a character that the least touch
irritates it and awakens in it the
sharpest pains. Thus, how many
times, when in the midst of
modern civilization i have wished
to call thee before me, now to
accompany me in memories
❖ Now to compare thee with other
countries, hath thy dear image
presented itself showing a social
cancer like a to that other!

❖ Desiring thy welfare which our

own, an seeking the best
treatments, i will do with thee what
the ancient did with their seek
exposing them on the steps of the
temple so that everyone who came
to invoke the divinity might ofer
them a remedy.
❖ And to this end, I will strive to
reproduce thy condition faithfully,
without discrimination, I will raise
a part of the veil that covers the evil,
sacrificing to truth everything,
even vanity itself. Since, as thy son i
am conscious that I also suffer from
thy defects and weaknesses.
NOLI ME TANGERE
□ Contains 63 chapters and an
epilogue
□ It begins the reception given by
Captain Tiago (Santiago De Los
Santos) at his house in Calle
Anloague ( Now Juan Luna Street)
on the last day of October

CRISOSTOMO IBARRA
□ A young and rich Filipino who had
just turn after 7 years of study in
Europe
□ The reception or dinner was given
in honor of Crisostomo
□ Was only son of Don Rafael Ibarra

DON RAFAEL IBARRA

□ Friend of Capitan Tiago and
fiance of beautiful Maria Clara
supposed daughter of Capitan
Tiago
 GUEST DURING RECEPTION
1. Padre Damaso - a Franciscan Friar
who had been priest of San Diego(
Calamba), Ibarra’s native town for
20 years
2. Padre Sibyla - a young dominican
parish priest of Binondo
3. Senor Guevara - an elderly and
kind lieutenant of the Guardia
Civil
DON TIBURCIO de ESPADANA - a
bogus Spanish Physician , lame,
and henpecked husband of Dona
Victorina and several ladies.

PADRE DAMASO - was in a bad

mood because he got a bony neck
and hard wing of the chicken
Tinola.
- he tried to discredit Ibarra’s
remarks.
=AFTER DINNER=
Ibarra
□ Left captain Tiago’s house to return to
his hotel.
□ On the way, the kind lieutenant
Guevarra told him the sad story of his
father’s death in San Diego.
❖ Don Rafael – his father, was a rich and
brave man.
□ He defended a helpless boy from the
brutality of a illiterate Spanish tax
collector, pushing the latter and
accidentally killing him.
□ He was thrown in prison, where he
died unhappily.
□ He was buried in consecrated
ground but his enemies, accusing
him of being a heretic, had his
body removed from the cemetery.

□ On hearing his father’s sad story,

Ibarra thanked the kind Spanish
lieutenant and vowed to find out
the truth about his father’s death.
=THE FOLLOWING MORNING=
□ Ibarra, visited Maria Clara, his childhood
sweetheart
❖ Maria Clara teasingly said that he had
forgotten her because the girls in
Germany were beautiful, then Ibarra
replied that he had never forgotten her.
□ After the romantic reunion with Maria
Clara, Ibarra went to San Diego to visit
his father’s grave. It was All Saint’s
Day..at the cemetery, the grave –digger
told Ibarra that the corpse of Don Rafael
was removed by order of the parish priest
to be buried in the Chinese cemetery.
□ But the corpse was heavy and it was a
dark rainy night so that he simply
threw the corpse into the lake.
❖ Ibarra was angered by the grave-
diggers story. He left the cemetery.
□ On the way, he met Padre Salvi
Franciscan parish priest of San Diego.
□ In a flash, Ibarra pounced on the priest
, demanding redness for desecrating
his father’s mortal remains.

PADRE SALVI- told him that he had

nothing to do with it, for he was not the
parish priest at the time of Don Rafael’s
death.
□ It was Padre Damaso, his predecessor, who
was responsible for it. Convinced of Padre
Salvi’s innosence, Ibarra went away.

□ In his town, Ibarra met several interesting

people, such as the wise old man Tasio the
Sage, whose ideas were too advanced for his
times so that the people, who could not
understand him, called him “Tasio the
Lunatic”.

□ The progressive school teacher, who complied

to Ibarra that the children were losing
interest in thier studies because of lack f a
proper schoolhouse and discouraging
attitude of the parish priest toward teaching
of Spanish and the use of modern method of
PEDAGOGY.
❖ The spineless gobernadorcillo, who
catered to wishes of the Spanish
priest:
1. Don Filipo Lino - the teniente
mayor and leader of the liberal
function in the town.
2. Don Melchor - the captain of the
cuadrilleros(town police).

Former Gobernadorcillo who were

prominent citizens:
1. Don Basilio
2. Don Valentin
❖ Most tragic story in the novel is the tale of
Sisa, who was formerly a rich girl but became
poor because when she married a gambler.

SISA- became crazy because she lost her two

boys.
BASILIIO AND CRISPIN - only joys of her
wretched life. These boys were
sacristans(sextons) in the church, working
for a small wage to support their poor
mother.

CRISPIN - the younger of the two brothers, was

accused by the brutal sacristan mayor(chief
tortured) in the convent and died.
 BASILIO - with his brother’s dying cries
ringing in his ears, escaped.
❖ when the two boys did not return
home, Sisa looked for them
everywhere and in her great sorrow,
she became mad.
❖ Capitan Tiago’s cousin who took care
of Maria Clara, after her mother’s
death arrived in San Diego.
❖ Ibarra and his friends gave picnic,
were Maria Clara and her four girl
friends.
□ The Merry Sinang
□ The Grave Victoria
□ The Beautiful Iday
□ The Thoughtful Neneng
AUNT ISABEL - chaperon of Maria Clara
CAPITANA TIKA - mother of Sinang
ADENG - foster-sister of Maria Clara
ALBINO - the ex-theological student who
was in love with Sinang and Ibarra and
his Friends.
ELIAS - one of boatmen was a strong
silent, pleasant youth.

❖An accident of the picnic was the saving

of Elias life by Ibarra.
ELIAS - bravely grappled with the
crocodile which was caught in the fish
corral, but crocodile struggled furiously
so that Elias could not subdue it.
□ Ibarra jumped into the water and
killed the crocodile, thereby saving
Elias.
□ Another accident, which preceded the
above-mentioned neat-tragic culture
incident, was the rendering of a
beautiful song by Maria Clara who had
a sweet voice. Upon the insistent
request of her friends, she played the
sharp and sang.

The Song of Maria Clara

“Sweet are the hours in one’s native land,
Where all is dear the sunbeams bless;
Life-giving breezes sweep he strand.
 And death is softened by Love’s
cares
“Warm kisses play on mother Lip’s,
On her fond, tender breast
awakening;
When round her neck the soft arm
slips.
And bright eyes smile, all love
partaking
“Sweet is death for one’s native
land,
Where all is dear the sunbeans
bless:
 AFTER MARIA CLARA’S SONG AND THE
CROCODILE INCIDENT, THEY WENT A
SHORE THEY MADE MERRY IN THE
COOL,WOODED MEADOWS.
□ Padre Salvi
□ Capitan Basilio (former
gobernadorcillo and Sinang’s father)
□ Alferez(lieutenant of guardia civil)
□ Town officials were present

THE MEAL OVER

□ Ibarra and Capitan Basilio played
chess.
□ Maria Clara and friends played the
“Wheel of Chance”(game based on a
fortune telling book).
❖ AFTER A SEARGENT AND FOUR SOLDIERS
OF THE GUARDIA CIVIL SUDDENLY
ARRIVED, LOOKING FOR ELIAS, WHO HAS
HUNTED FOR

1. Assaulting Padre Damaso

2. Throwing the Alferez into the mud hole.

□ Fortunately, Elias has disappeared and

the Guardia civil went away empty
handed. During the picnic also, Ibarra
received a telegram from the Spanish
authorities notifying him of the
approval of his donation of a
schoolhouse for the children of San
Diego.
□ The next day Ibarra visited old Tasio to
consult him on his pet project about the
schoolhouse. He sar the old man’s
writings were written in heiroglyphics.

□ Tasio explained to him that he wrote

hieroglyphics because he was writing for
the future generations who would
understand them and say: NOT ALL
WERE ASLEEP IN THE NIGHT OF OUR
ANCESTORS.

NOR JUAN - an architect continued the

construction of school house.
□ San Diego was preparing for its annual
fiesta, in Honor of its patron saint San
Diego de Alcala who’s feast day is the
11the of November.

□ On the eve of the fiesta, hundreds of

visitors arrived from nearby towns, and
there were laughter, music, exploding
bombs, feasting and moro-moro.

□ The music was furnished by:

1. 5 brass bands(including the famous

Pagsanjan Band owned by escribano
Miguel Guevarra.)
2. 3 orchestras
□ In the morning of the fiesta there was a
high mass in the church; officiated by
Padre Salvi.

□ Padre Damaso gave the long sermon, in

which he expatiated on the evils of the
times that were caused by certain men
who having tested same education.

□ After Padre Damaso’s sermon, the mass

was continued by Padre Salvi. Elias
quietly moved Ibarra, who was kneeling
and praying my Maria Clara’s side, and
warned him to be careful during the
ceremony of the lying of the
cornerstone of the school house because
there is a plot to kill him.
□ Elias- suspected that the yellowish man
built the derrick, was a paid stooge
Ibarra’s enemies.

□ True to his suspicion , later in the day

when Ibarra in the presence of a big
crowd, went down into trench to cement
the cornerstone, the derrick collapse.

□ Elias quick as a flash pushed him aside,

saving his life. the yellowish man was
the one crushed to death by the
shattered derrick.
□ At the dinner that night. The arrogant
Padre Damaso, speaking in the
presence of many guest, insulted the
memory of Ibarra’s father. Ibarra
jumped from his seat, knocked down
the fat friar with his first and then
seized with sharp knife. He would
killed the friar, were it not far the
timely intervention of Maria Clara.

□ Ibarra’s attack on Padre Damaso

produced 2 results:

1. His engagement to Maria Clara was

broken.
2. He was excommunicated.
=THE FIESTA OVER=

MARIA CLARA - became ill

- treated by the quack physician
“Tiborcio de Espadana”.

DOCTORA DONA VICTORINA de LAS REYES

De ESPADANA

□ Wife of Tiburcio de Espadana

□ A vain, frustrated native woman
□ A frequent visitor on Capitan Tiago’s
house
□ Had halucinations of being superior
Castilica.
□ She looked down on her own people as
inferior being.
□ She added another “de” to her husband
to become more spanish.

DON ALFONSO LINARES DE ESPADANA

□ cousin of Don Tiburcio de Espadana
□ Godson of Padre Damaso’s brother in
law.

A touch of comedy in the novel was the

fight bet.
1. Dona Consolacion - the vulgar mistress
of the Spanish alferez
2. Dona Victorina - flam-boyantly dresses
wife of a henpecked Spanish quac k
doctor.

STORY OF ELIAS
□ Tale of pathos and tragedy
□ He related it to Ibarra

❖ Some 60 years ago his grandfather

✔ His grandfather who was a young
bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial
firm in Manila.
✔ Was wrongly accused of burning the
firm’s warehouse.
✔ Was a plogged in public and was left in
the street, crippled and almost dead.

❖ His wife
✔ Who was pregnant
✔ Begged for alms
✔ Become a prostitute in order to support
his sick husband and son.

❖ After giving birth to her second and the

death of her husband, she fled with her
two sons to the mountain.
=YEARS LATER=
❖ FIRST BOY
• Became a dreaded tulisan named Balat.
• He terrorized the provinces.
• His head was cut off and was hung from
the tree branch in the forest.

❖ YOUNG BROTHER
□ Who was by nature kind-hearted.
□ Fled and became a trusted laborer in the
house of a rich man in Tayabas.
□ He fell in love with the Master daughter.
❖ Unfortunate lover(Elias Father)
✔ Was sent to jail while the girl gave birth
to twins a boy(Elias) and a girl.

❖ Elias
✔ Educated in the Jesuit College in Manila

❖ His sister
✔ studied in La Concordia College
❖ They lived happily until one day, over
money matters; distant relatives
exposed their shame full birth. They
were disgraced. An old male servant
whom they used to abuse, was forced to
testify in court and the truth came out
that he was their real father.

❖ Elias and his sister left Tayabas to hide

their shame in another place. One day
his sister disappeared. Elias roamed
from place to place looking for her. He
heard later that a girl answering to his
sister’s description, was found on the
beach of San Diego.
□ Elias, learning of Ibarra’s arrest,
burned all papers that might
incriminate his friends and set Ibarra’s
house on fire. Then he went to prison
and helped Ibarra escape. He and
Ibarra jumped into a BANCA loaded
with ZACATE (grass). Ibarra stopped to
Capitan Tiago to say goodbye to Maria
Clara.

□ After bidding Maria Clara farewell,

Ibarra returned to the Banca . He and
Elias paddled up the Pasig river toward
Laguna de Bay. A police boat with the
Guardia civil on board. Elias told
Ibarra to hide under zacate.
□ Elias jumped into the water and swam
swiftly toward the shore. He diverted the
attention of the soldiers on his person
giving Ibarra a chance to escape.

□ Elias seriously wounded, reached he

shore and went into the forest. He met a
boy Basilio, weeping over his mother’s
body. He told Basilio to make a pyre on
which their bodies were to burned to
ashes.
□ It was Christmas eve and the moon gleamed
softly in the sky. Basilio prepared the
funeral pyre. Elias looked toward the east
and murmured “I die without seeing the
dawn brighten over my native land. You who
have it to see, welcome it and forget not those
who have fallen during the night.”

❖ The novel was an epilogue which recounts

what happened to the other characters.

□ Maria Clara -entered the Santa Clara

nunnery
□ Padre Salvi - left parish San Diego and
became a chaplain of the nunnery.
□ Padre Damaso - transferred to
remote province but he was found
dead in his bedroom.
□ Capitan Tiago - became an opium
addict and a human wreck.
□ Dona Victorina - still henpecking
poor Don Tiburcio.
- wearing eye glass because
weakening eyesight.
□ Linares - died of dysentery.
-buried in Paco cemetery.
□ Alferez - was promoted Major.
-he returned to Spain
-leaving his shabby mistress
Dona Consolacion
 =THE NOVEL ENDS WITH MARIA
CLARA, UNHAPPY IN STA CLARA
NUNNERY. FOREVER LOST IN THE
WORLD.=
(Noli based on truth)

Noli ME TANGERE
✔ True story of Philippine conditions
during the last decades of Spanish
rule.
✔ Places, character and situation really
exist.
=THE CHARACTERS=
□ MARIA CLARA- was Leonor Rivera
□ IBARRA and ELIAS- represented Rizal
himself
□ TASIO the SAGE- was his elder brother
(Paciano).
□ PADRE SALVI- identified by Rizalist as
Padre Antonio Piernavieja.
□ CAPITAN TIAGO- was Capitan Hilario
Sunico of San Nicholas.
□ DONA VICTORINA- was Dona Agustina
Medel
□ BASILIO and CRISPIN- were Crisostomo
brother of Hogonoy.
□ PADRE DAMASO- was typical of a
domineering friar during the days of Rizal,
who was arrogant, supercilious and Anti-
Filipino.

RIZAL FRIENDS PRAISE THE NOLI

□ Friends of Rizal hailed the novel, praising it

in glowing colors. Rizal anticipated the
vitriolic attacks of his enemies, who were
sore to be told the truth of the evil ways.
□ In Rizal own words. The government and
the friars will probably attacking on the
work, refusing the statement, but the trust
in the God of Truth and in the persons who
have actually seen our sufferings.
 =COPIES OF NOLI WERE SENT
BY RIZAL TO...=

□ Blumentritt
□ Regidor
□ Hidalgo
□ Mariano Ponce
□ Graciano Lopez Jaena
□ Aguirre
=MORE COPIES WERE CREATED
AND SENT TO...=

BARCELONA
MADRID
HONGKONG