# Denzil Cantercot — The Big Bow Mystery character guide

> Denzil Cantercot in The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Mr. Denzil Cantercot, Mr. Cantercot, Cantercot

**First appearance:** 0003-i

## Snapshot

A shabby poet and penny-a-liner whose verses and grudges circulate through Bow, he knows too many secrets for a man with so little money.

## Who they are

Cantercot scrapes a living by his pen while nursing grander literary ambitions, and his threadbare pride makes him both pitiable and unpredictable. He moves between the labor circles around Arthur Constant and the darker corners where resentment festers, and his tangled private life keeps pulling him toward trouble. When suspicion begins to settle on him, the question of what this poet actually did becomes as pressing as the murder itself.

## Relationships

### [Edward Wimp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/edward_wimp)

_rivalry_

Wimp suspects Cantercot of the murder and relentlessly pursues him, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Peter Crowl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/peter_crowl)

_friendship_

Crowl, a journalist, collaborates with Cantercot on writing and shares a camaraderie of the trade.

### [Tom Mortlake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/tom_mortlake)

_social_

They are acquaintances connected through the lodging house and the murder case, with no deep bond.

### [Mrs. Drabdump](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/mrs_drabdump)

_social_

Cantercot is a lodger in Mrs. Drabdump's house, leading to frequent but superficial interactions.

### [Jessie Dymond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/jessie_dymond)

_social_

Cantercot knows Jessie through the lodging house circle, but their interactions are limited and casual.

### [Tom Mortlake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/tom_mortlake)

_social_

They are acquaintances connected through the lodging house and the murder case, with no deep bond.

### [Peter Crowl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/peter_crowl)

_friendship_

Crowl, a journalist, collaborates with Cantercot on writing and shares a camaraderie of the trade.

### [Jessie Dymond](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/jessie_dymond)

_social_

Cantercot knows Jessie through the lodging house circle, but their interactions are limited and casual.

### [Edward Wimp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/edward_wimp)

_rivalry_

Wimp suspects Cantercot of the murder and relentlessly pursues him, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Edward Wimp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/edward_wimp)

_rivalry_

Wimp suspects Cantercot of the murder and relentlessly pursues him, creating a tense adversarial dynamic.

### [Mrs. Drabdump](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/mrs_drabdump)

_social_

Cantercot is a lodger in Mrs. Drabdump's house, leading to frequent but superficial interactions.

### [Peter Crowl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/peter_crowl)

_friendship_

Crowl, a journalist, collaborates with Cantercot on writing and shares a camaraderie of the trade.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/ii)

Called as a witness; he was on his way to Grodman's house when called to fetch the police, but did not go upstairs.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/v)

Visits Grodman, argues about his epic poem and writer's cramp, then returns to the Crowl home where he is confronted about unpaid board.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/vi)

Visits Wimp to sell information about Mortlake's missing sweetheart, then visits Grodman; desperate for money and drinks heavily.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/vii)

Discussed at dinner; Grodman falsely claims Denzil has an alibi. Later seen at Crowl's house arguing about beauty.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/viii)

Returns after a three-day absence, disheveled; he attends the unveiling by claiming to be press.

### [The Riot at the Unveiling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/ix)

Helps Mortlake escape during the riot, later recounts the story to Crowl.

### [The Trial of Tom Mortlake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/x)

Testifies for the prosecution, but his memory is uncertain; he compares Jessie Dymond to Joan of Arc.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/chapters/xi)

Fears Grodman's threats of arrest for bigamy; is coerced into helping the agitation.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters/denzil_cantercot
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_bow_mystery_se/characters