Where does the taste for tragedies come from? Why does the contemplation of the unhappiness and misfortune of others interest and make us experience an aesthetic enjoyment? Among other reasons, it can be considered that these great works say something fundamental about human life and show possibilities of behavior in the face of misfortune on the part of exemplary men. In addition, they allow us to contemplate a rich and extraordinary world: to live other lives for whose experience there would be neither time nor perhaps energy. In any case, they educate, they teach, they show a truth. And there is a pleasure in all learning, as Aristotle recognizes in the Poetics. This book deals with the essence of tragedy, its philosophical character and the kind of knowledge it can bring. It is structured in three parts. The first one tries to define a tragic philosophy or ontology and focuses on the affects and the ways of reflecting on them. The second deals with the tragedy and its pretensions of truth. The third, which gives title to the essay, analyzes through different authors the tragic passions of fear and compassion.