Shakespeare's plays range across a number of dramatic genres, but the most common ones included in his repertoire are comedies, tragedies, and histories. Some plays have been labeled romances, and these are the plays that Shakespeare presumably wrote at the end of his career: Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest. These plays differ from comedies and tragedies in that they present happy endings to potentially tragic problems. As such, The Two Noble Kinsmen has also been labeled a romance play among Shakespeare's other works.
But, crucially, The Two Noble Kinsmen was never included in any of the Folios of Shakespeare's work. These Folios – or large printed collections, usually attributed to a single author – are typically what allow critics to categorize plays the way they would have been intended by the author. Without the inclusion of The Two Noble Kinsmen in either the 1623 "First Folio" or any of the later collections, the genre of the play remains largely debated. Most recently, however, scholars have taken to describing the play as a tragicomedy, or a play that blends traditionally tragic elements with a comic structure or mood.
One can certainly see tragicomedy operating in The Two Noble Kinsmen, as it is first and foremost based on the satirical work of Geoffrey Chaucer in "The Knight's Tale" of his longer The Canterbury Tales. As such, a large portion of The Two Noble Kinsmen is itself an ironic portrayal of chivalry, knighthood, and near absurd dedication to one's masculine duty. The subplot of the jailer's daughter is also prime comic fodder, as it not only provides a lighthearted look at romance but also comments subtly on portrayals of madness in more serious tragedies on the Renaissance stage. The play is not, however, without its tragic influence: indeed, the ending of the play can hardly be called a "happy" one, as Arcite must die in order for Palamon and Emilia to wed. The stakes of the play are high, as in tragedy, boiling down to life or death situations rather than simple misunderstandings or hijinks (as comedies tend to feature). Thus, the play continues to be read as a tragicomic representation of love, loss, and responsibility, a mixing of genres that was perhaps most appropriate for Shakespeare, who is believed to have retired from the theater shortly after collaborating with Fletcher on the performance.
