El Filibusterismo

BY: Dr. Jose Rizal

Setting: in the Philippines that is under the vestiges of the then-colonial Spain
Situation/Climate: Sometimes satirical, dryly humorous, sometimes serious and mournful.
Characters:
1. Simoun – Crisó stomo Ibarra in disguise, presumed dead at the end of Noli Me Tángere.
2. Basilio – son of Sisa and another character from Noli Me Tángere.
3. Isagani – Basilio's friend. He is described as a poet, taller and more robust than Basilio
although younger. 
4. Father Florentino – Isagani's uncle and a retired priest. Florentino was the son of a
wealthy and influential Manila family. 
5. Father Fernández – a Dominican who was a friend of Isagani. Following the incident with
the posters, he invited Isagani to a dialogue, not so much as a teacher with his student but as
a friar with a Filipino. 
6. Kapitán Tiago – Don Santiago de los Santos. María Clara's stepfather. Having several
landholdings in Pampanga, Binondo, and Laguna, as well as taking ownership of the Ibarras'
vast estate, Tiago still fell into depression following María's entry into the convent.
7. Captain-General – the highest-ranking official in the Philippines during the Spanish
colonial period. 
8. Father Bernardo Salví – the former parish priest of San Diego in Noli Me Tángere, and now
the director and chaplain of the Santa Clara convent. 
9. Father Millon – a Dominican who serves as a physics professor in the University of Santo
Tomas.
10. Quiroga – a Chinese businessman who aspired to be a consul for China in the Philippines. 
11. Don Custodio – Custodio de Salazar y Sá nchez de Monteredondo, a famous "contractor"
12. Ben-Zayb – A columnist for the Manila Spanish newspaper El Grito de la Integridad. Ben-
Zayb is his pen name and is an anagram of Ybanez, an alternate spelling of his last name
Ibañ ez. His first name is not mentioned. 
13. Father Camorra – the parish priest of Tiani. Ben-Zayb's regular foil, he is said to look like
an artilleryman in counterpoint to Ben-Zayb's friar looks. 
14. Father Írene – Kapitá n Tiago's spiritual adviser. Along with Custodio, Írene is severely
criticized as a representative of priests who allied themselves with temporal authority for
the sake of power and monetary gain.
15. Placido Penitente – a student of the University of Santo Tomas who had a distaste for
study and would have left school if it were not for his mother's pleas for him to stay.
16. Paulita Gómez – the girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Doñ a Victorina.
17. Kabesang Tales – Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former kabesa of Barrio Sagpang in Tiani. 
18. Tandang Selo – father of Kabesang Tales and grandfather of Tano and Juli.
19. Juli – Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales.
20. Tano – Kabesang Tales's son, second to Lucia who died in childhood.
21. Hermana Penchang – the one among the "rich folks" of Tiani who lent Juli money to
ransom Kabesang Tales from the bandits.
22. Hermana Báli – Juli's mother-figure and counselor.
23. Macaraig – the leader. He is described as wealthy, with his own coach, driver, and set of
horses.
24. Sandoval – a Peninsular who had come to Manila as a government employee and was
finishing his studies, and who had completely identified himself with the cause of the
Filipino students.
 25. Pecson – described as chubby, pessimistic, and having an annoying grin. 
26. Tadeo – a truant and charlatan who regularly dreamed of an eternal "holiday" from school,
but was all the same beloved by professors and passed courses. 
27. Juanito Peláez – Isagani's rival for Paulita Gomez's affection.
CONFLICT
El Filibusterismo, the continuation of Jose Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere, is about the mysterious
character Don Simoun. The business magnate and jeweler is a mystical, demoniacal figure whose
only thoughts are to overthrow the existing order, the colonial rule. He is moved partly by political
motives and partly by a personal desire for revenge. Thus, he uses his wealth to promote the
corruption of the ruling class, its arrogance towards the natives and the oppression machinery--and
at the same time to draw the attention of the oppressed people to the conditions which he himself,
to some extent, has caused, and to provoke their opposition.

Protagonist vs. Antagonist:

RISING ACTION:
His true identity was discovered by Basilio, the protagonist in the novel and a graduating student of
medicine who has views similar to Simoun's former self. Simoun managed to sway him to his side
after Basilio going through his own set of tragedies.

CLIMAX
At the eve of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Palaez, Simoun asked Basilio to take him to
his laboratory and revealed that he plans to give the newlyweds a kerosene lamp with explosives as
a gift during them reception at the house of the late Captain Tiago. When the lamp explodes, it will
kill all people within its proximity including influential political and religious leaders. Simoun's plot
was foiled by Isagani, who threw the lamp into the river. Basilio, after confronting his doubts,
warned his friend Isagani about the plot.

FALLING ACTION:
Simoun was revealed to be responsible and was searched by the civil guards. He was shot by a civil
guard during his escape and sought refuge at Father Florentino's house. He revealed his identity to
the priest and asked him why did his plot failed even though he has good intention to free the
Filipinos from oppression and why God has forsaken him. Father Tolentino replied that his plan
failed because he was driven by revenge and that God did not forsaken him. Before his death,
Simoun accepted Father Florentino's explanation and has realized his wrongdoings

RESOLUTION:
If education was the key to the Filipino sense of identity in Noli Me Tangere, a hidden desire for an
explosive revolution to oust the Spanish government was the general theme in El Filibusterismo.
Mainly through these subversive but non-violent writings, Rizal was exiled by Spain to a Philippine
island called Dapitan.