In Helen's departure, a character named Menelaus is saying goodbye to his wife, Helen. He is leaving her behind to go and fight in the Trojan War. The irony in the situation is that Helen is leaving her husband to have an affair with the son of the king of Troy, Paris. In other words, Helen is the reason why Menelaus is going to war, and yet he is being left behind while Helen goes off to be with another man. It is a form of bitter irony, in that Menelaus is being left behind to fight a war caused by his wife's actions, while Helen is going off to be with the son of the king of the very city they are going to war with.