Characters and Empathy

What is the key to creating empathy with the audience and our characters? How does success play into this?

Desire is key to creating empathy with the audience and our characters. Desire can make the audience relate to the character because motivation to work towards a goal is common for many. Success is helpful in developing empathy because a good majority of the audience believe that they are the unsuccessful underdogs. Success is effective if it has the background of the character trying very hard to achieve the specific goal. We can relate to the emotions the characters are going through as they face the challenges.