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Like Tartuffe, Dorine is a stock character—the smart-mouthed, wily servant. Her sarcastic comments add ongoing comic relief into tense scenes and provide the voice of cynical common sense. Dorine is Mariane’s maid and chaperone, but she also waits upon her mistress, Elmire, and her master, Orgon. Dorine talks disrespectfully to her employers without much fear of losing her job because the family depends on her to do the actual work of the household.

Dorine is fond of Orgon and his family, but she knows all their secrets and weaknesses. Faced with the cluelessness of her social betters, Dorine develops a practical plan for exposing Tartuffe, all while keeping Madame Pernelle, Orgon’s nasty mother, in her place and sorting out Mariane’s love life. Dorine also finds time for arguments with Orgon. In these scenes, Dorine acts as Orgon’s comic foil. Her sarcasms, sneers, and taunts lead Orgon to betray how besotted he is with Tartuffe and how much he enjoys bullying his family.

Dorine makes a short, stirring appearance in Act Four, Scene II, to urge everyone to stand together against Tartuffe. The spotlight then shifts from Dorine to Elmire, who carries out Dorine’s plan. In the play’s final scene, Dorine witnesses the family’s rescue and praises Heaven, culminating her role as the voice of reason.

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