Within the play Tartuffe, Dorine is depicted by Moliere as a rational character outside the family and therefore untainted by its innate prejudices and expectations, yet close enough that she feels an empathy to the family, and knows how it operates. She is the incarnation of truth, the blunt observer who isn`t afraid to point out what is stupid and what is not. She provides comic relief as well as bluntly pointing out to the audience the idiocy of the actions of those involved in the play.
From the beginning of the play to the end, Dorine is there to point out the inconsistencies and the flaws within the characters in the play. She is the actual focal point of the author`s views, all that Moliere wants made known is made known through her. She herself is not a hypocrite nor is she blinded by any of Tartuffe`s shams. Indeed, she is the most clairvoyant of all the characters within the play. Her vision and ability to see through the trickery of Tartuffe, and the foolishness of the actions of the family are valuable to the understanding of the play itself. Dorine`s sharp wit provides humor as well as deep insight in this comedy of satire.
Dorine acts as a damper to Tartuffe`s effectiveness in influencing the family. In her own way, she exerts an influence on the family. Her mere presence allows the family to be able to see through, at least partially, or forget about Tartuffe`s charm. She shares the view of most of the family that Tartuffe is a sham and a fraud, but is the only one who is brave enough to speak out against him in front of the matriarch, Madame Pernelle, and the patriarch, Orgon, of the family. Dorine is the one who rallies the troops and leads them into victory, slowly but surely influencing each family member to rebel against the authority of tartuffe summary which was bestowed unto him by Orgon.