The aim of this investigation is to analyse the way in which the city and the daily life of 1950 s Rio de Janeiro are represented by Nelson Rodrigues in A vida como ela é and Pouco amor não é amor, published in the 1950 s in the newspapers Última Hora and Jornal da Semana - FLAN, respectively, and in three Carioca tragedies: A falecida (1953), Os sete gatinhos (1958) and Boca de ouro (1959). Considering that Rodrigues s plays can only be related to Greek tragic drama with regard to certain themes and elements, since the tragic genre underwent changes throughout centuries, leading to discussions on the possibility of a modern tragedy, this investigation first attempts to examine the concept of tragedy in Rodrigues s writing and the way in which it can be perceived in the plays located in Rio, differently from his mythical and psychological plays. It is assumed that since Rodrigues s short stories from A vida como ela é and Pouco amor não é amor, the writer moved from universal tragedies to Carioca tragedies. Besides the approach to recurring themes in his work such as love, death, sex, betrayal, game and the press, the writer experimented with new characters and conflicts in these short stories, using a more colloquial language closer to daily carioca speech. Thus, after an analysis of this new Rodriguean writing, an investigation is carried out into how the Carioca urban area - south zone, north zone, downtown and suburbs – is not only suitable as a setting, but also outlines situations and conflicts of characters in the three Carioca tragedies studied.