An epic is traditionally a genre of poetry, known as epic poetry. However in modern terms, epic is often extended to other art forms, such as novels, plays, films, music, epic theatre, video games, and television shows where the story is centered on heroic characters, and the action takes place on a grand scale, just as in epic poetry. Modern epics may play off of the classical epic genre, both diverging from and evoking conventions of the traditional variety. Epics in this sense may be majestic depictions that capture impressive struggles, such as stories of war, adventures, and other efforts of great scope and size over long periods of time. The real life stories of heroic figures have also been referred to as being epic. Examples of notable epics include Ernest Shackleton's exploration