Who Is Doralice's Foil Character Of Melantha

Using Doralice’s foil character of Melantha, Dryden illustrates his opinion on the intense importance of wit in aristocratic society; without it, a person becomes nothing more than a vapid shell of self-consumed humanity.
Melantha directly contrasts Doralice’s character. Though they both share male partners and similar socioeconomic status, they differ in one key area: the presence of wit. Doralice holds the most substantial amount of wit of any character, male or female. She commands each scene and recognizes her personal Melantha, however, holds nearly none. This difference in wit accounts for almost all the women’s differences in character.
When Melantha and Rhodophil catch Doralice and Palamede in a rather compromising situation, Doralice conjures up a stunning defense while Melantha stands beside and flounders, allowing Rhodophil to take

Nay, then, I’ll confess my part of the malice too. As soon as ever I spi’d my husband and Melantha come together, I had a strange temptation to make him jealous in revenge and that made me call Palamede, Palamede, as though there had been an Intrigue between us. (3.2.144-49) MEL: Nay, I avow, there was an appearance of an Intrigue between us too. (3.2.150-51)
Doralice, who, along with her handmaid, Artemis, in Act 3 Scene 2, had destroyed every aspect of Melantha’s character through brazenly undisguised wit, most likely recognizes the costumed Melantha at Rhodophil’s arm and begins another verbal joust. Although this time around Melantha does partake mildly in the rapid exchange of wit, Doralice defeats her in this final statement: DOR: You are an admirer of the dull French poetry, Which is so thin, that it is the very Leaf-gold of Wit, The very Wafers and whip’d Cream of sense, for which a man opend his mouth and gapes, to swallow nothing: and to be an admirer of such profound dullness, one must be endow’d with a great perfection of impudence and ignorance. (4. 3.