What Happened In Those Fourteen Years??

In Pericles, Prince of Tyre, many people question what happened in the fourteen year gap. Personally, I think that the gap occurred plot-wise so that Marina could mature more in order to fulfill her role in the plot; however, if I was to make the story more interesting and add to the "epic" quality, I would have Pericles spend the years looking for the casket at the bottom of the ocean where he thinks his wife's body should be. Having the gap filled in by this would also lead on to more qualities about Pericles. The ocean is vast, mysterious, and terrifying. The reader/audience can draw a conclusion about the degree of Pericles's bravery for diving into the very heart of uncertainty. The ocean may once again swallow up Pericles and spit him ashore, and Pericles meets the soldiers in the second part of the play where he verifies his identity since he looks like a madman.