The Naked Soul
Socrates draws an image of the body as the clothing of the soul. The body exists in the world of appearances as a person's physical manifestation. But a person's true essence, according to Socrates, is his soul. This image recalls the argument about flattery that suggested an unhealthy body could make itself appear healthy by means of ornamentation like makeup. The body as a whole, in Socrates' image, is like clothing or makeup: a disguise for the true essence underneath, the soul. The Naked Soul, then, is a metaphor for honesty; an image, precisely, of what is beyond the world of appearances. The virtuous soul has no fault to hide.
The Leaky Jar
Socrates takes this image from Pythagoras, who himself likely took it from Homeric myth. In mythology, the Daniads must carry water in sieves through Hades as punishment for deceiving their husbands. Because by the time they get to their destination the water is gone, they must go back again and again to fill up their jars, and the punishment is eternal. Our expression, "that argument holds water," also derives from this tradition—a flawed argument, like a leaky jar or sieve, would not hold water. In the Pythagorean tradition that Socrates evokes, the leaky jar is a soul that cannot "contain" its desires. Satisfaction leaks out of this man like water through a leaky jar, and he will never know happiness.
The Testing-Stone
Socrates likens Callicles to a "testing-stone" to express his fitness for conversation. Just as a testing-stone was rubbed against another stone to determine its true value, Socrates says that brushing one's beliefs against another can prove their merit. In other words, the appearance of value is not enough. Value must be established through contact with others in conversation. With the image of the testing stone applied to Callicles, Socrates communicates this aspect of his methodology to his audience.
Out of Tune Orchestra
Socrates uses the image of an out-of-tune orchestra as an allegory for disharmony in one's private and public desires. If, while playing in the orchestra, one plays "privately" to one's lover, one may ruin the larger piece being played by the larger group. In either case, Socrates uses this image to demonstrate that being unaligned with yourself or the world around you is a bad condition that needs to be corrected.
