What is the significance of Polonius's advice to Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet?

There are two
views to this speech to( , I,iii).  The first is an obvious comparison with
.  His father is dead and cannot give Hamlet advice, except as a ghost, while Laertes has his
father still alive (at least for a few more scenes).  If taken literally, the advice is standard
father-son talk, a little pompous (Neither a borrower nor a lender be) and not carefully
listened to.  A far more interesting view is thatis giving advice that Shakespeare finds
hypocritical and falsely felt, that the speech is to be heard by the audience (and reader) as
the opposite of good advice.  Is To thine own self be true really good advice (some critics
amend the ending: Thou canst then be false to any man); and is Polonius really a good father
or has he clustered all his fathering in this one sage advice to his already grown son? 
Polonius as a character is a sort of sycophant to the new court, and his relationship toseems
self-serving rather than genuine.  What was his relationship to Hamlets father?  Few clues are
available.  The actor playing the role must choose a tone that is either genuine or pompous.  If
you factor in two other pieces of information from the play that he is also s father and that
his accidental death at Hamlets sword is hardly mourned except by Laertesyou can see how both
interpretations could be supportedwisdom and .