El Filibusterismo Noli Me Tangere

General Overview (Basic Information and Literary Style)

The sequel's antagonists remain the same.

Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) is the
This time, Jose Rizal's thoughts of radicalism
satirical fiction novel written by Filipino
and armed rebellion now littered the pages of
author and national hero Jose Rizal. Set in
the novel, providing the readers his opinions
the Philippines, the story follows Juan
and views of the matter. As Noli Me
Crisostomo Ibarra, a mestizo who ventures
Tangere ended on a bitter
to revisit his past and watch history play out
note, El Filibusterismo continued it with an
before his eyes. The novel was written
even bleaker outlook.
during the colonization of the Philippines by
subversive, dissident, revolutionary, Spain, and is seen as a public rebuke of the
treasonous.  oppressive ruling government and injustices
of the Catholic priests. 
Protagonists
El Filibusterismo, or El Fili, has a
. Crisostomo Ibarra returned as a rich jeweler
deuteragonist and a tritagonist intertwined
under the name of Simoun. He abandoned
with the protagonist, Basilio.
his idealistic views after going through tragic
A deuteragonist is known as the secondary events in the last novel. He believes that
character, the pangalawang bida, which in obstreperous and violent revolution is the
the novel is none other than Crisostomo only way to bring about end to the abuse of
Ibarra, now named Simoun. the Spaniards, especially the clergy. He
A tritagonist is known as the tertiary intends to do this by influencing the Captain-
character, or the pangatlong bida, which is General to make erroneous decisions that
Isagani in the novel. would lead to further suffering of the Filipinos.
He believes that doing so would open their
eyes of the truth and start a revolution. His
other goal is to free Maria Clara from the
convent.
Antagonists
Crisostomo Ibarra returned as a rich jeweler The main antagonist is Father Salví, who
under the name of Simoun. He abandoned plots against him.
his idealistic views after going through tragic
events in the last novel. He believes that
obstreperous and violent revolution is the
only way to bring about end to the abuse of
the Spaniards, especially the clergy.

06 Worksheet 1B *Property of STI

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 Inspirations for the Novel's Creation
The title El Filibusterismo is a derivative
phrase used first in Noli Me Tangere, which
means "The Filibuster." Granted, it means a
person who engages in an unauthorized war
against a foreign nation. Ferdinand
Blumentritt once noted to Rizal in their
correspondence that he didn't get the
meaning of the word, to which Rizal gladly
gave its sense.
Driven by his undying love for his
country, Rizal wrote the novel to expose the
ills of Philippine society during the Spanish
colonial era. At the time, the Spaniards
prohibited the Filipinos from reading the
controversial book because of the unlawful
acts depicted in the novel.