The epic poem represents more especially action restricted to individuals; tragedy, suffering restricted to individuals. The epic poem represents man as an external agent, engaged in battles, journeys, in fact in every possible kind of undertaking, and so demands a certain elaborateness of treatment. Tragedy, on the other hand, represents man as an internal agent, and the action, therefore, requires but little space in a genuine tragedy. There are five kinds of motives: (1) Progressive, which advance the action. These the drama uses preëminently. (2) Retrogressive, which draw the action away from its goal. These the epic poem uses almost exclusively. (3) Retarding, which delay the progress of the action or lengthen its course. Both epic and tragic poetry use these to very great advantage. (4) Retrospective, which introduce into the poem events which happened before the time of the poem. (5) Prospective, which anticipate what will happen after the time of the poem. The epic as well as the dramatic poet uses the last two kinds of motives to make his poem complete. The worlds which are to be represented are common to both, namely:-- (1) The physical world, which consists first of all of the immediate world to which the persons represented belong and which surrounds them. In it the dramatist limits himself mostly to one locality, while the epic poet moves about with greater freedom and in a larger sphere. Secondly, the physical world, containing the more remote world in which all of nature is included. This world the epic poet, who appeals exclusively to the imagination, makes more intelligible through the use of similes and metaphors, which figures of speech are employed more sparingly by the dramatist. (2) The moral world, which is absolutely common to both, and, whether normal or pathological, is best represented in its simplicity. (3) The world of fancies, forebodings, apparitions, chance and fate. This is available to both, only it must of course be approximated to the world of the senses. In this world there arises a special difficulty for us moderns, because we cannot easily find substitutes for the fabulous creatures, gods, soothsayers and oracles of the ancients, however much we may desire to.