In Hamlet, what is the significance of Polonius' advice to Laertes in Act I Scene 3?

A lot of the meaning of this advice depends on how a
director chooses to play Polonius in this scene. Is he presented as a loving, caring
father who is genuinely wanting the best for his son, or is this a repetition of advice
that Laertes has heard many a time before? Depending on how Polonius is shown to deliver
these lines, he can be presented as a comic bore or a wise, loving father. However, it
is always worth remembering the position of such scenes and which scenes they are placed
next to. This touching scene of a father-son relationship highlights the way that Hamlet
has been robbed of such intimacies by his father's untimely death. Likewise the fact
that this scene comes straight after Act I scene ii, when Claudius tries to assume the
role of Hamlet's father but then goes on to try and manipulate him to stop showing
grief, emphasises the poor alternative of a father that Hamlet is left with. Lartes has
a father who cares for him and loves him, as shown through the very sensible and wise
advice offered. Hamlet, on the other hand, has an Uncle for a father who has
disinherited him and married his mother swiftly after his father's death. What kind of a
father figure is this to Hamlet? Thus, arguably, this scene through juxtaposition helps
present the isolation of Hamlet in the mind of the audience.