In this scene, Menelaus is told all about the dead in Troy and the death of Odysseus and so everyone is sad and crying. For this reason, Helena drugged the wine that people were drinking with a drug called pharmakon that causes nullification of pain, anger and forgetfulness of all evils. This story. all who drank of wine were unable to cry as they heard Menelaus speak.
She makes a joke about how handsome Menelaus is because a joke can make anyone laugh or happy and I have never known a person to cry at dinner after a joke.
