Dorine is a stock character found in many of Molière's comedies and, in fact, has become a type found in comedies of all periods. She is the wise servant who sees through all pretense, and while being the inferior, in terms of social position, she is the superior in any contest of wits. Surrounded by the deluded and tyrannical Orgon, the hypocritical Tartuffe, and the ineffectual Mariane, Dorine appeals to us through her winning wholesomeness, her directness, and her simple honesty.
In the social structure of the day, Dorine would be part servant and part companion to Mariane. This accounts for her open manner in contrast to a typical servant. She always comes across as the person highly capable of perceiving the truth amid hypocrisy and fanaticism; she is the person who satirically expresses much of the exasperation felt by the audience.
