As Laertes prepares to go to France, He warns his sister, Ophelia, about not falling for Hamlet, someone whose passions will differ over time and someone who is supposed to marry just to stay as King and to maintain the state. Laertes worries about Ophelia’s pride and honour as well as Hamlet worries about his mother’s.
Ophelia promises to obey, but sarcastically tells Laertes to listen to his own advice.
Polonius enters, tells his son for taking long, then immediately starts giving him fatherly advice about how to act: be sociable, to not lend or borrow money, to be true to your own self etc. Finally, he lets Laertes go. The Father and son talk reflects Claudius’s with Hamlet, except Polonius isn’t trying to hide a secret. Polonius asks Ophelia what Laertes was talking to her about and Ophelia answers saying “Hamlet”. After Polonius asks her to explain, she says that Hamlet has expressed his love for her. Polonius tells her that Hamlet is only pretending to love her only to sleep with her, and forbids her to talk to him. Ophelia again promises to obey.