Epic can be greater in length than tragedy.

Unlike tragedy, an epic action

should have no limit in time. It is the special advantage of epic that it may be
of considerable length. In tragedy, it isn't possible to represent several parts of
the story as taking palce simultaneously. Epic poetry, on the contrary, is able
to represent several incidents that are taking place simultaneously. And if
these incidents are relevant, they increase the gravity of the poems & also
relieve the poems of monotony & dullness.

Epic represents the life of an entire period & relates an action concerning the
fortunes or destiny of a nation.

The marvellous has a function in epic . The irrational on which the wonderful
depends for its chief effects,has a wider scope in epic poetry because there the
persons' acting ain't visible. The pursuit of Hector by Achilles in Homer's 'The
Ilaid' before the Greeks, standing still & watching the scene with passive
interest, would be simply laughable on the stage, whereas in the epic the
absurdity passes unnoticed.

In the final chapter of poetics Aristotle raises the question whether the epic or
the tragic drama is the higher form of imitation. According to him , the better
form of art is less vulgar & the less vulgar is always that which is designed to
appeal to the better type of audience . Now it's obvious that the form that
appeals everyone is extremely vulgar. Thus epic is said to appeal to cultivated
readers who don't need the help of visible forms, while tragedy appeals to
meaner minds. If ,then, it is a vulgar art, it is obviously inferior to epic.

But this accusation can be defended by saying that the tragic drama can
achieve its end without the help of action. Like epics, the quality of a tragic
drama can be staged, while tragic drama can be staged as well as recited.
Moreover, the disadvantage that tragic drama appeals to meaner minds can be
compensated by the other respects in which tragedy is definitely superior.

The second accusation inherent to tragedy is that when the performers act on
the stage ,they sometimes do a great deal of unnecessary movements. The
performers can't act the parts of respectable women.

The flute players can't do their job properly. And the older actors always
criticize the younger.But this kind of arguing is a criticism of acting, not of
poetry , for it is also possible for a bard to exaggerate his gestures while
reciting, & for a singer too.

The tragic drama is also superior because it has all the epic elements, while
epic doesn't have all the elements of tragedy. Tragic drama may even employ
the epic metre ,& it has the additional attraction of music & spectacular effects
which are the sources of distinct feeling of pleasure. Then the effect is as vivid
when a play is need as when it is acted.